Norwich council should give saving Reid & Hughes a chance
In a prior editorial, we backed the decision by the Norwich City Council to move forward with the demolition of the former Reid & Hughes Building in the center of the downtown. After all, for 23 years the city, which took possession of the former department store in hopes of finding a developer to restore it, had failed in that attempt. Allocating more city resources in maintaining the structural integrity of the 19th century building appeared the equivalent of dumping money into a deep well. The time had come to move on.
However, the commentary carried a qualification: “If some group were to come forward with a plan to rescue the Reid & Hughes and had the fiscal backing to make it happen, the council should listen.”
Well, that has not exactly happened, but New London developer Bill Morse has offered to invest $200,000 to stabilize the structure. That is a big chunk of the $300,000 the city has concluded is necessary to stop deterioration.
So for a relatively modest investment, Norwich can buy time to assess an interesting, but as of yet unfunded, plan to reuse the building. The Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development would like to redevelop the structure into apartments, including for veterans in need of subsidized housing. But raising the $6 million to make the project a reality is a big challenge.
Another reason the council should pause the plans to raze the Reid & Hughes is the threat of litigation. Preservationists have appealed to the state Historic Preservation Council. Last week the council directed Attorney General George Jepsen to pursue an injunction to halt demolition. Some council members accused Norwich of “demolition by neglect” for not doing more to preserve the old department store. That’s unfair. This cash-strapped city has made a good-faith effort to try to preserve the Reid & Hughes and find a use for it.
The Norwich council should authorize holding off on demolition, take up Morse on his offer and, if it proves genuine, invest the matching money necessary to stabilize the building.
Best case, the latest proposed reuse materializes. It’s a longshot, but sometimes longshots finish in the money.
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