[goldenage1]

Torrington has assets to be a charming small city. It has a walkable downtown, some charming old buildings and good Italian restaurants. It has people interested in the arts, a decent library and a population of wealthy, seasonal people in Litchfield. It is almost commutative to Hartford with very reasonable housing price. It can be a weekend trip to New York City with better connections to the Waterbury train station.

It has lost stores to the outlying malls, like most other areas.

What could be done to bring people back to downtown Torrington. Could the Yankee Pedlar be converted to apartments if there were better parking? It was a great restaurant in the 60's. I had good memories of my first adult drink there.

[Stylo]

I mean, not every town in a region can be prosperous. If Torrington transformed it would displace some lower income folks.

To me, it’s just a little too shabby to get momentum. Derby has the same issue, although there are big investments being made there.

[goldenage1]

It seems like the Pedlar has structural problems, mold and possibly asbestos. It may be a teardown. It might work better as a 3-story parking deck. Perhaps the facade could be preserved or simulated. The bar/restaurant across Main Street is "hopping", and it has preserved the Mertz Department Store facade.

It has changed a lot since I lived there. It was solidly middle and working-class, not low-income.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

It seems like the Pedlar has structural problems, mold and possibly asbestos. It may be a teardown. It might work better as a 3-story parking deck. Perhaps the facade could be preserved or simulated. The bar/restaurant across Main Street is "hopping", and it has preserved the Mertz Department Store facade.

It has changed a lot since I lived there. It was solidly middle and working-class, not low-income.

I thought I read that the Yankee Pedlar was being converted to a hotel for a national chain? The owner, Jayson Hospitality, has been battling the city over control of the building. A judge recently ruled for Jayson provided they meet certain conditions including installing a fire protection system by December 12th and securing project funding by February. I’m not sure if it met the first condition or not. Hopefully it has.

To add to this, Torrington could certainly build on the wonderful Warner Theater it has downtown. It’s a true treasure. The city should encourage more housing downtown and become a center for the arts. That would go a long way to improving the city’s reputation.

[goldenage1]

JayCT - You are correct about Jayson's ownership. Perhaps the building is in better shape than I thought. However, I am not sure how much demand for rooms there would be. Once the Pedlar was the only hotel, but now there are severalther less expensive ones.

Trinity Epicopal Church has been given permission to operate a homeless shelter. I never knew of any homeless people when I wlived there.

[Johnho771]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

Torrington has assets to be a charming small city. It has a walkable downtown, some charming old buildings and good Italian restaurants. It has people interested in the arts, a decent library and a population of wealthy, seasonal people in Litchfield. It is almost commutative to Hartford with very reasonable housing price. It can be a weekend trip to New York City with better connections to the Waterbury train station.

It has lost stores to the outlying malls, like most other areas.

What could be done to bring people back to downtown Torrington. Could the Yankee Pedlar be converted to apartments if there were better parking? It was a great restaurant in the 60's. I had good memories of my first adult drink there.

"Has assests to be..." Sounds like you are describing an already charming city.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by Johnho771

"Has assests to be..." Sounds like you are describing an already charming city.

No, just the potential to be.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by Johnho771

"Has assests to be..." Sounds like you are describing an already charming city.

No, just the potential to be. There is currently too much crime and homelessness. I hope the homelessness can be handled with compassion.

[hvexpatinct]

The children’s museum downtown (across from the Warner) is a very big draw. The food scene is tiny, but growing.. The new vegan restaurant near the Warner draws people from quite a distance. The Railroad Museum of New England runs some tourist/event trains between Thomaston and Torrington and they have been popular.

I do agree it’s similar to Derby, and also to New Britain. There are reasons to go to all three, but they are gritty and likely always will be. That’s fine.

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by hvexpatinct

The children’s museum downtown (across from the Warner) is a very big draw. The food scene is tiny, but growing.. The new vegan restaurant near the Warner draws people from quite a distance. The Railroad Museum of New England runs some tourist/event trains between Thomaston and Torrington and they have been popular.

I do agree it’s similar to Derby, and also to New Britain. There are reasons to go to all three, but they are gritty and likely always will be. That’s fine.

Gritty is not bad. Southern Ct gritty manufacturing was largely responsible for arming this nation in WWII. We aren't free in 2024 w/o winning WWII.

Bridgeport was on the Nazis wish list of targets for that reason during the 40s.