HDC Seeks White House Protection

At its May meeting last evening, the Historic District Commission passed a resolution to petition the Town Council to include the Shakespeare Theater administration building (a/k/a the White House) in the Historic District in order to help protect it from demolition.

It is not entirely clear whether the Town Council has jurisdiction to do that, or whether including the Elm Street property in the Historic District (whose present southern boundary is Ferry Blvd.) would help to protect it. But it's a meaningful first step in organizing support to protect and (it is hope) rehabilitate Stratford's last "Grand Mansion."

Is the 'White House' on Death Row?

This week e-mails have been flying back and forth about the fate of the Shakespeare Theater administration building on Elm Street, a/k/a the 'White House'.

Councilman Matt Catalano (R-3) explains in a e-mail from earlier today:

The white house lost part of its roof and the fire marshall deemed the house unsafe. PW [the town's Department of Public Works] is to suspend all service to the building and cut utilities. The Mayor wants to tear the building down and that discussion is starting in earnest.

It's been mentioned a tear down/rebuild is an easier sell (to the mayor) but ultimately the [Town] Council has control. We have $1.3 million bonded that needs to go to salvage the building or build a new one, if we could trust that to happen. I'm leery. Either way we need to maintain that property for a "center for the arts" Shakespeare museum, admin office space.

There you have it. Your comments on what role OSNA ought to play in this would be most welcome.

The Keating Meeting

A group of about a dozen neighbors met last evening to discuss the future of the former Keating Ford property at 1055 Stratford Ave.

Next Tuesday (July 20), at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers at Town Hall, property owner Armando Genga Limited Partnership will go before the zoning board to request a zoning variance allowing it "to construct a commercial shopping center with restaurant" on the property.

But that's not all. Town Councilor Matt Catalano (R-3) said that if the developer is able to bend the zoning regs, the next step would be seeking approval to construct 191 "affordable housing" units on the site. And we all know what that means.

"It's important that the neighborhood come out and take a long look at what's going to happen," Catalano said. Nearby Hard's Corner, the closest commercial intersection to the Shakespeare Theater, is already under distress since the closing of Ken Petrino's Mobil service station three years ago.

"Hard's Corner needs to be brought back to what we did [in Stratford Center] with the 'village' concept," Catalano added.

If you agree, come Tuesday at 7 p.m. to Council Chambers. To make a comment you must sign up in advance. Bring friends and neighbors -- the zoning folks will hear your voices!

Send an e-mail to Michael Bingham, the author of this post, at mbingham@conntact.com.

Shakespeare Theater Update

"It's going to happen." That's what Councilman Matt Catalano (R-3) confidently predicted about the Shakespeare Theater at an informal neighborhood meeting Friday at the Housatonic Boat Club (see previous and subsequent posts). Working with theater consultant Jim Volz of the University of California/Fullerton (author of How To Run a Theater: A Witty, Practical & Fun Guide to Arts Management), the town put together a Request for Qualifications that attracted 12 submissions. Six were invited for interviews, and the first two interviews -- Frank Tobin Associates and North Carolina-based Michael Hardy Management -- took place July 15. The remaining applicants will be interviewed July 21 and July 26. They are:

• Victor Gotesman of New York;

• Willem Brans Theater Arts Consultants, also of NYC;

• New Jersey-based Maggie Harrer;

• AMS of Fairfield.

Catalano also estimated it would cost "easily" $15 million to finally reopen the doors to the long-shuttered playhouse. Scary!

But...Catalano also said he had induced Middlebury-based Timex Corp. to commit $41,000 to restore the sundial on the east facade of the theater building. If spending 41 grand on a project that's been dormant for 21 years and doesn't yet have a developer sounds a bit fanciful...well, whatevs.