Bank Street gallery to close, OpSail Connecticut to occupy space
New London — The Gallery at Firehouse Square on Bank Street is closing at the end of the year but owner John Johnson said he has no plans to abandon the storefront.
The maritime art gallery, which opened at 239 Bank St. in 2010, will be replaced by the new permanent headquarters of OpSail Connecticut Inc., a nonprofit group that sponsors the annual Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival.
Johnson, who has served as chairman of the OpSail Connecticut since it formed in 1999, said he is likely to have “a major announcement” in the next month related to the organization but declined to elaborate. He did confirm the group has been feverishly working to bring tall ships back to the area.
OpSail Connecticut originally formed in anticipation of OpSail 2000, a national event that landed tall ships in New London for a four-day event that drew hundreds of thousands of people to the region. The annual Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival is a descendant of that event.
Johnson said the former gallery will remain active and be fully staffed in the new year.
The gallery is having a closeout sale and will donate the proceeds to benefit OpSail Connecticut. Johnson estimates the value at six figures. The items in the gallery's art collection will remain on sale in the new year.
“The City of New London is so much more active since the opening of The Gallery April 29, 2010. Think about what has happened since then — Coast Guard Museum becoming a reality, housing projects abounding the New London landscape, State Pier changing ownership from (Department of Transportation) to CT Port Authority, and the continued presence of OPSAIL events for the ensuing seven years, and a thriving and bustling Bank Street restaurant mecca,” Johnson said in a prepared statement.
Johnson serves as vice chairman of the New London Port Authority, a board member of the Connecticut Port Authority, chairman of the legislative affairs for the Connecticut Marine Trades Association and is the former treasurer of the National Coast Guard Museum Association. He is also managing partner of Thames River Properties LLC, a real estate management and development company; 60 Willow Street LLC, which is a mixed-use commercial building next to Red 36 in Mystic; and JBG Ventures LLC, which operates Quiambaug Cove Professional Center LLC in Stonington.
Johnson thanked the artists and customers who have been supportive of his efforts to focus on maritime art.
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