Norwich - New Downcity Options

[PCGrad02]

Norwich Bulletin

Went to the Harp & Dragon saturday night, fantastic rennovation of a building that was vacant for FORTY years. The new owners did a great job, it's good to see that the various downcity bars are willing to help one another to get some positive street activity going on. The new cafe @ the Marina is priced on the high side, but you cannot beat the location, awesome place to sit and have drinks at on a sunny afternoon. Hopefully the success of both spots will spur continued developement in the city center.

[damus]

Norwich Bulletin

Went to the Harp & Dragon saturday night, fantastic rennovation of a building that was vacant for FORTY years. The new owners did a great job, it's good to see that the various downcity bars are willing to help one another to get some positive street activity going on. The new cafe @ the Marina is priced on the high side, but you cannot beat the location, awesome place to sit and have drinks at on a sunny afternoon. Hopefully the success of both spots will spur continued developement in the city center.

It'd be quite funny to go there just to see if Bill Nash, a co-owner and my former DARE officer, is around. How ironic is it that the same guy who used to tell kids not to take drugs is now serving legal poison....

BTW, where is it downtown? I've been craving to go to a good place around here for pub food.

[PCGrad02]

It'd be quite funny to go there just to see if Bill Nash, a co-owner and my former DARE officer, is around. How ironic is it that the same guy who used to tell kids not to take drugs is now serving legal poison....

BTW, where is it downtown? I've been craving to go to a good place around here for pub food.

Bill seems to be there all the time, it's located across Main St from LaStella Pizza. The front of the building is painted black.

[damus]

http://norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../605020311/1002

Some downtown properties owned by developer Janny Lam:

- 60 Main St., office space, acquired in April.

- 289-291 Main St./Lerou building, apartment units and first floor commercial, renovations completed in early 2005.

- 321 Main St./Alice building, apartment units and first floor commercial, renovations completed in late 2005.

- 1-3, 5-7 and 9 Washington St., residential units, acquired in April.

Developer Janny Lam hopes soon to lease first floor space of the former Majestic Rose Dinner Theater for a restaurant and bar. She has not completed plans for the upper levels of the building, but wants to install an elevator at the site.

Lam's crew began work at the Chelsea Landing Pub & Galley, and the developer estimated it will take six months to get the building renovated.

[JimSawhill]

http://norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../605020311/1002

What happened to the Otis Library building? That Library was run of the worst library I ever saw, some books were missing and the librarians didn't seem to care... I hope they built a new library -- supplied with new books...

[damus]

What happened to the Otis Library building? That Library was run of the worst library I ever saw, some books were missing and the librarians didn't seem to care... I hope they built a new library -- supplied with new books...

I actually have fond memories of that library. The fact that it was an old department store meant that both levels were basically large open spaces, which I liked as it made it easier to navigate. The kids section had the kind of stuff that would make a 5 year old happy to go to the library. Toys, kids books, computers with games to play (back when that was a big deal), videos.

The adult's section probably could've used a new floor, and I'm not too sure about the selection as I usually read my magazines. It's sad, but I only read a few books a year and they're all from Amazon. One thing I remember distinctly about that place is that homeless people were usually sitting (and sometimes sleeping) in the chairs they provided at the end of rows.

The library's currently undergoing renovations... We'll see if your concerns are addressed.

[PCGrad02]

The old library is undergoing a massive rennovation that should be completed by this time next year. The project was supposed to be done by this fall, but we all know how that goes. Otis is in a temp location across the street @ 2-6 Cliff Street. There is still the homeless problem, but it is not as bad as it used to be. The new expanded soup kitchen helps pull the homeless out of Otis. The new library should be excellent, with a cafe and much more space than the old setup. Otis actually has quite the collection compared to the other public libraries in the area, and you can get any book from any library across the state sent there in a matter of days. It's a good thing that Otis is staying downtown, it is a major draw from towns surrounding Norwich.

[ctman987]

This is great news for the city of Norwich. I know Norwich very well -my father's office is located on West Main Street between Wal Mart and Downtown. He has been in Norwich when the city was more active then New London and it is great to see Norwich working to improve itself.

The key to brining people into Norwich or any other place after 5:00 is giving them good places to go. If there are good, well recommended restaurants and bars (old and new) people will go. For example even as parts of the South End of Hartford declined people still flock there to go to places such as First and Last Taver, Carbone's Restaurant, Casa Mia Restaurant, Costa Del Sol and many more places as well as the Italian bakeries on Franklin Avenue. It appears to me that Norwich is doing just that and thats great.

[HartfordTycoon]

Norwich Bulletin

Went to the Harp & Dragon saturday night, fantastic rennovation of a building that was vacant for FORTY years. The new owners did a great job, it's good to see that the various downcity bars are willing to help one another to get some positive street activity going on. The new cafe @ the Marina is priced on the high side, but you cannot beat the location, awesome place to sit and have drinks at on a sunny afternoon. Hopefully the success of both spots will spur continued developement in the city center.

This is from that original article. I just found this quote interesting coming from a local businessman. He sure seems to want more people around. So the sentiment is there for some who would like to see dramatic growth in this region.

"It's all about working together. We want people to go, 'Let's go to Cafe Kaydance and Billy Wilson's (Ageing Still) and Dillan's (Bar and Grill) and here.' They don't have to make a decision until they get to Norwich," said Nash.

Capano agreed with the words, "Full steam ahead!"

"What we could use is twice as many people," he said. "And that'll come."

[damus]

Bulletin - Otis Library receives $500,000 donation from Gentile

[damus]

Bulletin - Norwich may host Smithsonian art show

[Johnzo]

Boy, I think Norwich missed a golden opportunity by not building its ballpark downtown. That could have been an unbelivable setting, looking over an outfield fence and seeing the marinas and river.

Still, it's a neat little city, with tons of potential.

[somad]

Boy, I think Norwich missed a golden opportunity by not building its ballpark downtown. That could have been an unbelivable setting, looking over an outfield fence and seeing the marinas and river.

Still, it's a neat little city, with tons of potential.

Well... from what I can remember, Norwich's industrial park was one of many sites in the area that was considered. There were cost effective sites all over the place and I think Norwich was lucky to get the team over New London, arguably the cultural heart of the county, or other more cost-effective sites in the smaller towns.

The location stinks, but I love that ballpark. It's too bad the Yankees aren't affiliated with the team, anymore..

[somad]

Bulletin - Pedistrians urged to use stairs downtown

Bill Nash, co-owner of Harp & Dragon Pub at 130 Main St., said it's important to have easy access into the downtown for pedestrians, especially when the weather starts turning colder.

"We get a lot of people who come in and say they're from that up-street area," he said, "and this would open up access to the downtown for them."

Rick Kramer, executive director of Rose City Renaissance, the city's Main Street program, said the open staircase would also alleviate use of the Main Street parking garage as a pass-through.

The top portion of the staircase would need to be repaired to make it safe for pedestrian use. And questions about the city's responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act would need to be answered before opening the passageway.