Coast Guard Academy, Connecticut College, Ocean Beach Park, Garde Arts Center and plenty of others unintentionally omitted.

These are pillars of New London, and The Day is as synonymous with the city as all of these or anything else.

Having published the newspaper daily since 1881, The Day is one of the oldest — if not the oldest — continuously operating businesses in New London. Its president and publisher, Tim Dwyer, announced earlier this week that the company would move from its longtime home at 47 Eugene O’Neill Drive around the corner to the former Frontier building at 208 State St.

The Day is a foundational anchor of the community, but specifically a mainstay in downtown New London, so the announcement that the company will stay in the historic district should come as welcome news to all. The Day’s stated mission as the region’s independent, locally-owned, community media company will continue, and just a stone’s throw from where it has been doing that work for generations. You can support that mission by subscribing here.

The move comes as the media landscape is changing. At over 10,000 square feet, the new space is significantly smaller than the current one, which will save on maintenance and other costs. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic forced The Day to temporarily turn into a remote company virtually overnight, and the company succeeded in doing just that.

The impending move, which hasn’t been given an official date as of yet, comes about nine months after The Day sold its 64,000-square-foot Eugene O’Neill Drive complex to High Tide Capital for $1.875 million.

High Tide also owns the former Frontier building, having completed that deal in July. Based in Bangor, Maine, the company specializes in the renovation of historic buildings. In June, the company announced the completion of The Riverbank, a multi-million-dollar project that includes mixed-income apartments, a rooftop deck and three retail locations on Bank Street.

The firm is at the forefront of redevelopment in New London, having opened the Manwaring Building at 225 State St. in 2022 as supplementary Connecticut College housing after investing millions in its historic rehabilitation. It has plans to convert The Day building as well as the adjoining former Citizens Bank space into a hotel, restaurants and apartments.

High Tide isn’t the only developer doing business in New London, as the city is in the midst of a development boon. State Pier has been transformed. Apartment complexes are filling up and still being built. The National Coast Guard Museum is on track for the downtown waterfront. Things are happening in New London, and The Day will continue to report on them.

Dwyer said he was committed to keeping The Day downtown, pointing to the company’s fierce support of protecting the historic district over the years. Its employees get coffee at Muddy Waters, eat lunch at The Dutch and take walks by City Pier. We are part of the fabric of the downtown, and hope to be for years to come.

Downtown New London has been a good home to The Day for over a hundred years. We look forward to many more.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.