Preservation Connecticut is proud to announce its Awards of Merit for 2022. Although the coronavirus pandemic continues, life is slowly taking on a more normal aspect again. As that process unfolds, we recognize the many ways that historic places contribute to the life of our communities. As places to live, work, play, worship, or create, they can provide shelter, conserve resources from the past, and remind us of who we are and where we come from. In other words, preservation is for people.
We are honored to recognize individual projects, long-term contributions, and professional achievements that demonstrate the many ways historic places contribute to the life and vitality of Connecticut communities. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on May 4 at the New Haven Country Club.
Harlan H. Griswold Award for Historic Preservation: Nancy R. Savin
Presented jointly by Preservation Connecticut and the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office, the Harlan Griswold Award honors outstanding contributions to the preservation and revitalization of Connecticut’s historic places. Nancy R. Savin has devoted her life to our state’s culture through many mediums, both traditional and original. She was the producer/host for 17 years of numerous documentaries and programs that featured CT institutions, people, ideas and events in the visual and performing arts. As a student of historic places, she partnered with the State Historic Preservation Office on surveys of Connecticut’s historic theaters and synagogues. As an organizer, she helped found the Connecticut Association of Historic Theaters and served on the board of the Merritt Parkway Conservancy. Her longest running and most personal project has been to document and preserve remains of the Jewish community of Chesterfield, where she spent many childhood days at her grandmother’s farm. Ms. Savin initiated National Register and Archaeological Preserve designation for the sites of the Chesterfield creamery, synagogue, and mikveh; marked them with a granite monument; and, most recently, ensured the future care and preservation of the property by arranging for its transfer to The Archaeological Conservancy.
AWARDS OF MERIT
Legacy Theatre, Branford
In 1914, a silent picture house was born in the Branford village of Stony Creek, now a National Register District. In later years it served as a community and summer stock theater, a factory, and the Stony Creek Puppet House. In 2013 the nonprofit Legacy Theatre acquired the old Building. The theater reopened in 2021 and has given new life to a century-long tradition of entertainment in Stony Creek.
Project team: The Legacy Theatre, Inc.; Wyeth Architects llc; GNCB Consulting Engineers, P.C.; Consulting Engineering Services, Inc.; Luminous Environments LLC; Acme Professional Inc.; Criscuolo Engineering, LLC; Philip R. Sherman, P.E.; Heritage Resources; O,R&L Construction Corporation; Robert Benson Photography, LLC
Metro Arts Studios, 345 Railroad Avenue, Bridgeport
Metro Art Studios is located in the historic Crown Corset factory building, built in 1909 in Bridgeport’s South End. After standing vacant for many years, the three-story building has been renovated for artists’ studios plus a gallery. It shows how private parties with a love of old buildings, determination and the interest of potential tenants can reuse once vacant space and create new energy.
Project team: Michael Villani and Douglas Hartman; Jane Davila, Metro Art Studios; Rodger W. Braley Architects; CJ’s Construction Service LLC; Avila Electrical Services, LLC; Connecticut Community Bank; Brake Fire Protection, Inc.; CT HVAC, Inc.
Clover Gardens, Hartford
Four buildings in Hartford’s Asylum Hill neighborhood have been returned to residential use by the nonprofit Chrysalis Center. The complex now offers 32 apartments, eight marketed as affordable, and eight more for clients with intellectual disabilities from the Hartford nonprofit HARC. As requested by neighborhood representatives, Chrysalis provided larger units suitable for families, as well as market-rate units. This project exemplifies how historic preservation and affordable housing can work together.
Project team: Clover Gardens Limited Partnership, LLC (Chrysalis Center, Inc., and Chrysalis Center Real Estate Corporation); HARC, Inc.; Crosskey Architects, LLC; James K. Grant Associates; Long Consulting, LLC; To Design, LLC; Enterprise Builders, Inc.; Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office; National Park Service
Martin Luther King, Jr., Campus, Hartford
This Collegiate Gothic building opened in 1923 as Weaver High School and became a middle school in 1974. Now, it has been renovated to house the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Middle School as well as the Breakthrough North Magnet School. Middle school principal Dr. Doreen Crawford writes, “Here on this beautifully restored campus, our neighborhood school and magnet school teachers, staff, and families along with students from our city and the region, will learn from and with each other in an environment that is conducive to learning.”
Project team: Hartford Public Schools; JCJ Architecture; Arcadis/O&G/C&R Project Management; Downes Construction Company; Macchi Engineers; Consulting Engineering Services; Freeman Companies; Fisher Dachs Associates; Jaffe Holden; Crabtree McGrath Associates; DVS, a division of Ross & Baruzzini; Building Conservation Associates; Connecticut Masons Contractor; Armani Restoration; Cherry Hill Glass Co.; John Canning & Co. Ltd.; Stained Glass Resources; Evergreene Architectural Arts; Depaoli Mosaic Company
Swift factory, Hartford
The M. Swift and Sons gold leaf factory was once the economic heart of North Hartford. When production ceased in 2005, unemployment and poverty in the neighborhood increased dramatically. Renovated by the nonprofit developer Community Solutions, the factory now offers space for fledgling local businesses, a community-based private school, a healthcare clinic, and shared space for local entrepreneurs and start-ups, of which 90 percent are Black-owned. In a time of social and cultural change, new uses at the Swift factory address economic, health, social, and environmental conditions in North Hartford.
Project team: Community Solutions; Bruner/Cott Architects; Consigli Construction Company; Banton Construction Company; Capital Restoration, Inc.; Centek Engineering; Cirrus Structural Engineering; Richard Burck Associates; MacRostie Historic Advisors; Langan Engineering; Deliver All, LLC; Kalin Associates; Total Business Network Group; Kolram Access Services; Pirie Associates; Newfield Construction
Seven Hearths pelt room, Kent
In 1979, the Kent Historical Society acquired the John Beebe, Jr., house, called “Seven Hearths.” Built in 1751, the Structure was not only Beebe’s home but also housed his general store, a butcher shop, and, intriguingly, a pelt room. The society has carefully restored the pelt room, and now it provides first-hand evidence of the vital role that the fur trade played in the Colonial economy. In today’s world, when wearing fur is mostly taboo, this provides an opportunity for visitors to put themselves in the place of early Americans rather than to judge them by today’s Standards.
Project team: Kent Historical Society; Jeffrey Morgan; Roger Gonzales; Hudson Valley Preservation; Mark Peterson; Zordan Brothers
Norwalk Art Space
The First Church of Christ Scientist was built in 1935. After falling into disuse, it became an oriental rug store, but lawyer and civil rights activist Alexandra Korry recognized the building’s potential as a center for the arts—promoting local artists, enhancing educational opportunities for under-served students, and providing a welcoming space for the public to enjoy art and music. Today, the onetime church is now a vibrant community art hub, serving as both a physical and symbolic manifestation of ambition, community outreach, artistic expression, and inspiration for all.
Project team: Alexandra Korry; The Norwalk Art Space; Frederick William Hoag Architect LLC; Wesley Stout Associates; A.V. Tuchy Builders Inc.; DeStefano & Chamberlain Inc.
J. Starr barn, Stamford
A barn from a 19th-century estate has found new life as part of a city school. Built about 1860, the barn later became a gymnasium for Sacred Heart Academy and was listed on the National Register. In 2014, the property was sold to the City of Stamford for a new K-8 school. Renovation left exposed framing that shows how the original barn was expanded. It provides a vivid lesson about historic construction and building recycling to students and community users.
Project team: City of Stamford; Stamford Historic Preservation Advisory Commission; State Historic Preservation Office; Stamford Historical Society; Perkins Eastman, Architects; BVH Integrated Services; Milone and MacBroom; Richter and Cegan; Dagostino and Associates; Diversified Technology Consultants; DVS Security; Acentech; Atelier Ten; Kronenberger and Sons Restoration
Established by special act of the Connecticut General Assembly in 1975, Preservation Connecticut works with local preservation groups and individuals as well as statewide organizations to preserve, protect, and promote the buildings, sites, and landscapes that contribute to the heritage and vitality of Connecticut communities.
For more information, visit PreservationCT.org or contact Christopher Wigren at 203.562.6312 or cwigren@preservationct.org