Historic Shannon Building secures its future in downtown Norwich
Norwich — The Shannon Building has stood at the key downtown intersection of Main, Broadway and Courthouse Square for over 100 years, and with a recent $1 million energy efficiency upgrade and a new long-term lease with the state Department of Children and Families, the owner has secured the building’s status as a downtown cornerstone.
Norwich Public Utilities on Tuesday presented a rebate check for $61,000 to ownership partner Jason Ziegler, marking the completion of the upgrade project in the five-story, 43,585-square-foot building. The project included LED lighting with network controls, heating and ventilation system controls throughout the building and new heat and water pumps, a new elevator and solar panels on the new roof.
“With NPU, the project went very smoothly,” said Ziegler, a partner with Sovereign Management, which owns the building. “We’re very happy to be able to modernize the building.”
The upgrades are expected to save an estimated $82,000 per year in energy costs, NPU officials said Tuesday.
In addition to the energy efficiency upgrades, Ziegler said cameras will be installed around the building for improved security.
The building is 100 percent occupied now that a new lease with DCF was signed four months ago after a protracted negotiation period and numerous delays. The five-year lease includes three, five-year extension options. The agency has about 200 employees in offices throughout the building. The Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce also recently moved into a storefront space at 187 Main St.
State Sen. Cathy Osten, who worked to avert a possible DCF move to the Norwich Business Park, said the fully occupied office building is critical to the downtown Norwich economy.
“This is important in so many ways to downtown businesses,” she said Tuesday.
Ziegler approached NPU in 2018 to evaluate a range of upgrades and improvements that would make the building more comfortable for workers and more energy-efficient, as well as to lower energy costs. The Connecticut Green Bank, through the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program, financed the project, NPU officials said.
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