State Street building owner empties space, plans next move
New London — Vintage doors, windows, fireplace mantles, plumbing fixtures and urns are just a few of the salvaged items seen being hauled from a historic State Street building over the past month.
Under some pressure from the city, artist and antiques dealer Evan Blum is taking his wares elsewhere.
The owner of the Demolition Depot and Irreplaceable Artifacts, building parts salvage operations with locations in New York City and Middletown, said Friday that after eight to 10 tractor-trailer loads, he has nearly completed the herculean task of emptying the historic Cronin Building at 78 State St.
Most of the items are expected to reappear at the sprawling former Atlantic Packaging Corp. complex in the Greeneville section of Norwich, which he purchased last June. He said he has about one more truck load before completion.
At some point in the future, Blum said he envisions portions of his vast collection will be on display and for sale in Norwich, though a timeline for the opening is unclear. He received approval in October to use a portion of the mill as a warehouse but also plans a retail operation. He said he still is working out details of what that might look like but promises “something like nothing else in the area.”
In New London, Blum said he hoped the move would satisfy local zoning regulations and forego any further court action. The city had filed a civil suit to enforce zoning regulations that bar storage facilities in the central business district.
And while he maintains that the Cronin Building was never intended to be used solely for storage, “they asked me to empty the building and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Blum purchased the building in 2005 and said he has spent “hundreds of thousands” on measures to maintain the aging building but frustratingly never was able to open a retail operation.
As for the future of the historic Cronin Building, Blum said that is unclear, though he still hasn’t ruled out opening to the public. He said he has been approached by local developers but said he has no interest in the “boring, white, vanilla, sheetrock boxes,” his description for some of the new residential developments taking place across the city.
“That’s what I don’t like,” Blum said. “I’m not looking to do that, build garbage housing. I actually fought the tide on that. I want something to add to the area and increase the value. I like arts, the creative, the different, innovation, history,” he said. “Architecturally, this is an interesting building. That’s why I bought it.”
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