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Reviving the Rao
September 11th, 2007
NEW BRITAIN—In its heyday, the Rao building downtown bustled with shoppers—first buying groceries in the early 1900s and, later, women's apparel in the 1950s.
in the late 1990s, the five-story building became vacant, fell into decy and turned into an eyesore when it was boarded up in 2000. The city bought it to save the building from the wrecking ball, hoping to preserve a building with a prominent place in downtown's history.
Now the building is at the center of renovations to a block that once again could become a hub of pedestrian activity and nightlife in the long-awaited revival of downtown.
New britain joins a growing list of cities and towns in the state that are pinning their revitilization hopes on renovating buildings for new uses. They hope the combination of apartments, condominiums, restaurants, specialty stores and entertainment venues will prove potent, luring people back into the city.
Like other cities, New Britain has struggled with crime and gang violence—and wants to see a change in its reputation, particularly downtown.
For many municipalities, the impact of revitalization efforts, though promising, has yet to play out.
In New Britain, the hopes are high because of the $1.6 million Rao project, t 160 Main St., builds on efforts already underway on the block and others that are planned across the street.
New York developer Jasko Development plans to create nine one-and two-bedroom apartments, 3,000 square feet of office space and a ground-floor restaurant or store in the Rao building that could be ready by April. This is the second project Jasko has undertaken on the block, having renovated the landmark Andrews building at 136 Main St. last year.
The company completed rennovations on the Andrews Building that had been started by a previous owner during the 1980s. The building, refurbished mostly for office space with the exception the ground floor and basement, is now more than half-occupied, and shows off the building's Beaux Arts architecture.
The Rao Building, built in 1900, is separated from the Andrews Building by a shared parking lot. The building got its start as the Sovereigns Trading Co. building, where various dealers once sold provisions such as "choice groceries, flour, crockery and glassware, fresh salt meats, vegetables in their season" according to a 1905 city directory. The Rao Clothing Store next became a city fixture there, oocupying the building for several decades.
Jasko purchased the Rao building from the city for $1. Jasko was the third developer to attempt a renovation, the first two attempts having failed.
The apartments will be market rate with granite countertops, central air, ceramic tile and security systems. Estimated rents will range form $1,000 to $1,200 a month for a two-bedroom unit.
I look out every day and see them working on the building and it puts a smile on my face," said Bill Carroll, business development coordinator for the ciy's chamber of commerce, who views ongoing construction form his city hall offices.
Jasko principal Avner Krohn said he works alongside a small handful of professionals that include "an architect and some engineers." This company also has an office in Trenton, N.J., where they are at work on a smiilar city-based revitalization project.
Still structurally sound, the Rao Building was a mess inside and out. There was extensive water damage on the upper floors, which hadn't been used since the mid-1960s.
According to project manager Mark Frieland, the building probably would have been totally destroyed if the city had not replaced the roof seven or eight years ago. Contractors just finished scraping decades-old plaster from interior walls to expose the century-old bricks underneath.
The building's brick exterior has been washed, bleached, sand-blasted and restored, said Krohn, who plans to retain the building's original features wherever possible.
So far, 120 customized windows have been replaced, and frame repairs are underway for the eight giant side-by-side bay windows that look accross Main Street to Trinity Methodist Church and a satellite branch of the CCSU campus.
This cluster of activity surrounding Main Street, already home to the City's Hole in the Wall Theater for the past two years, also includes a major renovation project of the former Trinity church, to be converted into an arts and entertainment center called Trinity on Main.
The area "seems to be the epicenter of entertainment right now," said Donald Courtemanche, director of theNew Britain Downtown District, adding that popular Music Series at South Church is also nearby.
Soon the ground floor and basement of the Andrews Building will be home to the Green Table Tavern, a restaurant, pub, billiard hall and jazz club.
"Jasko is smart, they held out for just the right tenant," said Stephen Hard, a member of the Downtown Revitilization Steering Committee and the arts commission, who says the city's transformation "is going as well or better than could be hoped."
"Having good restaurants is one of those pillars of revitalization," added Courtemanche, pointing to Famous Dave's BBQ, which also opened successfully downtown in the past year.
For now, Courtemanche thinks the best way to change people's minds about the city is "to bring people down one by one" so they can just see it for themselves.
Kathleen Schassler is a free-lance writer living in Southington.
