How 'bout we smash a few antiques for the sake of progress

(I stand corrected, below)


Pardon me for being pissy, but I'm one of those "cranky" preservationists who insisted that the house at 9 Liberty Street be saved. And it was, as it was moved early Sunday morning to a new site on Rapallo Avenue.

Thank god for Izzi Greenberg, of NEAT (North End Action Team) who originally was skeptical of the house move, but now recognizes the beauty of the building, and the integrity it will bring to the North End as housing is transformed there.

Unfortunately, the house move gave Sloan Brewster, of the Middletown Press, the opportunity to get the story wrong again, mostly by quoting people on only one side of the story (every story has two sides, Sloan).

Let me make some things clear about me, and about most preservationists:

- Every old building is not sacred, and not worth saving.
- Old buildings, are not more important than the lives and well-being of residents.
- Progress is not bad.
- All new development is not bad.

As for this particular story, here are some facts that are lacerated in the Middletown Press tale:
- That Peter Harding "donated" the house. Technically, yes, but the town "deeded" the house to Peter Harding with the condition that it would be moved. I can't recall clearly, but I believe the town took the house through eminent domain, and "deeded" it, at no or nominal cost, to the developer. His "cost" for the property was to help pay to move it.
- Mayor Giuliano says we can't make up for mistakes made in the 60's and 70's when a wave of redevelopment left parking lots where beautiful historic buildings once stood. No, Mayor, but we can avoid making the same mistakes again. I grew up in a once beautiful town called New Britain, you don't have to tell me about the ravages of redevelopment.
- "Some people have said it is not a remarkable example of an historic house..." Some? Who? Just plain old lazy journalism not to have that answer.
- "...others protested and so Harding offered it to the cause." Others? Again, who? Oh, me. That's right, I protested, and so did many other residents with names. Who might have known those names? The mayor, the town planner, the developer, the NEAT representatives. More lazy journalism Sloan.
- The house had lost its "historic relevance." Well, it was on the National Historic Register of Historic Structures, is that relevant enough? May I remind you that the Mark Twain House was a rooming house before it was rescued by pesky preservationists. (I stand corrected. The Mark Twain House was an upscale apartment building before it was renovated as a monument to one of America's great writers. Thanks to Susan Forbes Hansen for setting me straight) In 1915, the Old State House in Hartford was abandoned. In 1921, a group of pesky preservationists started a restoration drive. In 1961, it was declared a National Historic Landmark. Sure, 9 Liberty was no Old State House, but it was, and is, significant to Middletown's history. Ironically, as a result of the move, it lost its place on the National Register. There are buildings all over town that don't look like much because they're covered with ramshackle additions, asbestos and aluminum siding, and cheap porches, but that's not an excuse to knock them down.
- The story quotes the mayor and "others" (who?), who claim that it would be more economically sound to have demolished the old building, and built anew. I don't think that was ever proven to anyone's satisfaction, and several meetings were held to discuss the issues. Maybe the mayor knows something we don't. Maybe he and the "others" are simply wrong. But you wouldn't be able to determine that unless you asked someone on the other side of the issue....Sloan?

As many of the people quoted in the article agree, this is a needed, and positive step forward toward revitalization in Middletown's North End. There are unasked questions about the revitalization. Has the redevelopment East of Main, simply relocated the poverty and some of the attendant problems into other North End neighborhoods West of Main? Is the grand experiment of mixed-income housing at Wharfside Commons working? Is another surface parking lot, adjacent to the sidewalk on Main Street, a good thing? And is a driveway, across that sidewalk, leading to a busy grocery store, safe?

One final note. I've been in several banks, lawyers offices, stores, and restaurants on Main Street where I see a familiar photograph. It's of the beautiful old town hall. Demolished to make way for a surface parking lot. We should use that old photo as a reminder to keep the wrecking ball at bay until we're sure we want to sacrifice our past for the sake of our future.

And a note saying: "If you're reading this, you've destroyed our beautiful building."

So, they've found a "time capsule" buried under the rubble or what was once the stately convent of St. John's Church.

Rev. Gregory Mullaney, who was once in residence at St. John's, feels the time capsule links the church with its past:

"Having something like this helps to give you a sense that these were real people," Mullaney said. "In this case we don't have their faces, but we have their names and that is powerful." "With their names and these items we know a little bit about their lives and who these people were and that helps bring the history alive." "As Catholics, we cherish the fact that we inherit our faith from those who went before us and getting a sense of who these people were is an important thing," he added.

Of course, saving the building and restoring it to its former glory might have been a better connector to the church's history.

Still, we can be assured that a time capsule may be buried under the new community center, which by reports, will be a pre-fab steel, industrial-type building. And when parishoners are forced to demolish it in 30 years, they'll find similar items - a newspaper reporting how the Catholic Church has been forced to pay restitution to victims of priest abuse, a postcard of the old convent that was destroyed to make way for the community center, a report on Mother Theresa's loss of faith late in life, a picture of Bono shaking hands with Pope Benedict, a dollar token from Mohegan Sun, and a condom in a foil package with a picture of Jesus making a peace sign embossed on it.

...gone

Remember that great old convent that used to sit up on the hill overlooking the Connecticut River?

Just a memory.

And the good news? Great view of the bridge from Main Street.

Jesus saves, but he doesn't preserve

Despite the happy talk about preserving the past, as the parish plans the demolition of a beautiful 120 year old building, the good folks at St. John's are destroying a landmark, which has serverd as a gateway to town on a promontory overlooking the Connecticut River (and beautiful Rte. 9) and putting up a modern two-story community center. I would love to get a look at the plans, but I'm afraid that my anticipation of what a two-story community center looks like will be exactly what I fear.

The Hartford Courant's article about a street in Great Barrington this weekend talked about the proud tradition of construction in the late 19th century. Such was the pride that builders (we call them developers now), actually put their names in brick, terra cotta and concrete on the cornices of these buildings. We knock them down with little discretion, and pat ourselves on the back for saving windows, molding and bells. Whoopee.

Meanwhile, at a workshop meeting of the town council last evening, about a development a block away from St. Johns, the developer defended a driveway that will cross a Main Street sidewalk by saying the proposed tenant (It's Only Natural) demanded a wide view of the parking lot on Main Street. Seems it's too dangerous in the North End to park your car in a sunny lot behind the building.

But not too dangerous for a new community center.

Sunday morning inspiration

It's a rare morning. Clear, sunny, cool - a perfect June Sunday morning. A set-up to be inspired.

But on this Sunday morning, as most, I find inspiration in the ink and newsprint of the Sunday paper, and despite my frequent critiques, this morning, the Hartford Courant was the source of that inspiration.

After reading Susan Rodell's piece, I'm going out to buy a clothesline. It's something I've been meaning to do for awhile, having researched the amount of energy a clothes drier uses, but her piece pierces the lame excuses for not using the sun when it's free and available.

Philip Langdon's description of Great Barrington's Railroad Street inspires me to wage a louder war against the destruction of beautiful 18th and 19th century buildings in my own hometown.

And of course Barrack Obama's visit to Hartford, and his speech which simultaneously vilified the Christian right, celebrated the role of faith in making a real effort to solve social and political issue and affirming the existence of skepticism and doubt make him an even more appealing candidate. My one criticism of his speech is that he said that the Christian right was solely responsible for the divisiveness of religion. Religion has been divisive from day one. It's the challenge of religion to overcome its innate divisiveness. He also encourages liberal people of faith, especially candidates, to feel free to express their beliefs. I'll add, that the country will truly find freedom when a Mormon or an atheist can run openly without recriminations. Find the entire speech here.

Colin McEnroe also does a nice analysis of the speech.

Don't forget to read Ann Hamilton's epitaph for Len Domler.

The Courant also carried important stories on Iraq war wounded and roadside bombings in Iraq.