by Thomas Breen | Sep 16, 2021 9:06 pm

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Demolition underway at former Bigelow Boiler factory complex.

The site of former Building 1.

A block’s worth of New Haven industrial history started disappearing as a city-hired demolition crew began tearing down four derelict former Bigelow Boiler factory buildings on River Street.

Those four city-owned brick factory buildings make up a majority of the former industrial complex at 190 – 198 River St. — an industrial stretch of Fair Haven extending on the southern end of the block from James Street to Lloyd Street.

By Thursday afternoon, so-called Building 1 on the eastern side of the block had been reduced to a pile of brick, wood, and debris beneath three towering excavators and a half-dozen yellow-vested, hard-hatted demolition workers.

The Bigelow Company used to be a national leader in the manufacture of steam boilers, according to the New Haven Preservation Trust. Many of the River Street buildings were constructed in the 1870s and 1880s, and the factory complex employed hundreds of people well into the 20th century.

River Street on Thursday. Building 1 has already been demolished. Buildings 2 and 3 (center) and Building 5 (a small garage on the far right) will also be torn down. Building 4 (the three-story structure on the right) will remaining standing.

A 2018 view of Buildings 1, 2 and 3. All three of these are now being torn down.

Demolition work began on Monday.

Buildings 2, 3 and 5 should all be demolished by mid-next week. Those include adjacent two-and-a-half-story and two-story structures towards the middle of the block, as well as a small single-story brick garage closer to James Street.

The city-hired crew will need another week or two after that to clean up the remaining rubble, according to City Building Official Jim Turcio.

The three-story structure known as Building 4, meanwhile, will remain standing.

City Building Official Turcio, pointing out the four-foot flood elevation on Building 4.

Turcio said the city hopes that local restoration company Capasso, which successfully renovated a nearby former Bigelow building at the corner of Lloyd and River Streets, will be able to bring new life to the one crumbling building that the city will not be tearing down on the block. The city recently secured a $646,500 state grant to clean up PCBs and other environmental hazards at that site.

“ The roofs collapsed,” Turcio said when asked why the city ordered the four Bigelow buildings demolished. ​“ We lost all the lateral support. And we had homeless people living in there, risking their lives.”

Turcio said that ​“ unsupported brick buildings” like these rely on the weight of the roofs and the floors to remain standing. These structures had all seen their roofs collapse. In Building 3, the falling roof had knocked down the second floor, carrying all of that material to the basement.

The 1870s and 1880s-era complex, which has been vacant, derelict, and owned by the city for years, was walloped by Tropical Storm Isaias in August 2020, leading to the city’s closure of that block of River Street to through traffic because of the safety hazard posed by falling bricks.

The site of former Building 1.

Was a recent storm to blame for the structural damage that precipitated the demolition?

No, Turcio replied. ​“ Just decay over the years.”

How does he feel knowing that the buildings are now coming down?

“ I can sleep at night,” Turco said. He said the city has struggled to keep squatters out of the collapsing property. Two weeks ago, the city found two people sleeping inside one of the buildings, even with ​“ the roofs caving in” and the walls shaking. City workers removed their beds — only to find a new bed had taken its place on Monday.

“ We couldn’t keep them secure,” Turcio said about the properties. He said the one building that will remain standing, Building 4, is in better shape than the ones coming down.

Rubin and Greenberg, with bricks and debris from the demolition site.

Looking inside the rotted-out interior of Buildings 2 and 3.

Local architectural historians and preservationists Elihu Rubin and Rob Greenberg watched as the demolition crew completed its tear down of Building 1, exposing the rotting inner beams of Building 2 to the open air.

“ I’m sad to see it go,” said Rubin, who teaches architectural history at Yale and has previously led walking tours of the historic riverine district. ​“ My dream was to stabilize just the facades. To put up big steel braces for a stage set, to talk about the industrial history of the city.”

Greenberg, searching for new additions to his Lost in New Haven collection.

“ It’s absolutely offensive that this was left to decay like this,” said Greenberg, a local artist and historian who has put together a collection of thousands of Elm City artifacts, memorabilia, and ephemera, known as Lost in New Haven.

“ New Haven should have done everything possible to stabilize and put them in play. Just watching this happen over and over and over in New Haven, it’s just heart-wrenching.”

With his own hard hat and construction-site vest, Greenberg combed through the rubble of Building 1, picking up stray bricks and a porcelain light fixture, and a blue stone base of a column to incorporate into his collection.

Rubin and Greenberg both said that, if there’s one positive thing to come from the demolition of these historic structures, it will hopefully be a wake up call for city staffers and preservationists to do everything they can to salvage historic buildings while they’re still standing.

Looking east on River Street, from James. The small garage on the right is Building 5, which will be demolished. The three-story Building 4 next door will remaining standing.

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Commenting has closed for this entry

I t is indeed a shame that buildings like this are left to rot so they can be demolished but that is the lack of a sense of history that America has always had. Maybe we'll learn but I doubt it. If the homeless want to risk their lives in a dangerous building; now they'll have to buy a luxury condo in Florida!!

This is hard. It takes vision, persistence and cash to recycle and reinvent a city's material history. I remember driving or cycling past these buildings and imagining really cool living spaces, restaurants, art galleries, mini-museums that offered exhibits on the culinary (family menus? A different meal from a different family/culture a day/a week?) and cultural and ethnic histories of this exasperating, wonderful town. But, of course, talk is cheap, thoughts are free: I didn't have the cash. I hope New Haven can respect itself enough to reinvent itself and serve its communities in practical, inspired fashion. Not gentrification for those who can afford, but realistic imagination for all to enjoy. Great article.

I am no historian but growing up in the northeast has given me an appreciation for old buildings and the industries that thrived.

So sad. These buildings are irreplaceable historical treasures.

Thank you Independent for covering this. But, it seems, there's a real back story that I'd suggest you dig into. Let's start with why demolish. Squatters? Well, squatters needed to be removed to demo. So no squatters, no need to demo. If the City needed to secure the building against squatters, that's what it should have done. The City had, or was about to issue, a Request for Proposal to secure and stabilize the building. Why was that not good enough? The building was poorly maintained. The City has owned this building for 15 years. All building owners are responsible for periodic maintenance. What has the City done to maintain the building? What entity within the City is responsible for maintaining such structures? What does the demolition order say? When was it dated? To whom did it go? And what about procedure? For a private owner, Turcio, as Building Official, issues an order to the owner to repair or demolish. When the City is the owner, to whom does he issue the order? What amount of time was given in that order for corrective action? Does Turcio have the authority to be judge, jury and executioner? Has he no oversight? Where is his unchecked authority given? As a National Register property, Bigelow's demolition needed to be noticed to a number of entities including the State Historic Preservation Office. When was this done? Is there a back connection between Turcio, Capasso and this demolition? And the Mayor, who says he will always answer calls to his cell, did not respond to a preservationist constituent asking for clarification on what was happening and why. Why did he not respond? There's an old saying, if you're not part of the solution, perhaps you're part of the problem. And finally, to feature a quote from a demolition contractor on the building condition, is akin to asking the fox in the henhouse about the condition of the chickens as he eats the last one. It's colorful, but hardly definitive. There's a foul smell in the air.

I agree with some of these "historical comments", but let's face it, unless you have lived here for many years, made this community your home, raised your family and made good friends, this entire block or blocks of River Street have been abandoned for many, many years. For those that reside within this area, we all know the many times that calls were made to LCI, Police and Fire Depts to resolve the many complaints that were submitted. The many individuals that were coming and going to participate on illegal activities made it clear that this was "the free for all spot". We have a school nearby and the kids can't even walk around here and our park is a mess. Homeless take bath in here and sleep on these dilapidated buildings. This abandonment of these once historical buildings have made them structurally unsafe. In defense to the Building Department, the # 1 issue and concern is PUBLIC SAFETY not a conspiracy. Capasso has taken a big risk to invest on our communities. Economic Development and City Plan have plans but no real vision whatsoever. How many years and attempts to secure these buildings has the City invested on. I blame these 2 City depts for not responding. I also blame my Alder Cupo for not been proactive in this part of her ward, I get it, we are not Downtown nor Wooster Square, we are within your ward and you were supposed to represent us...guess not... I also blame her colleague Alder Crespo and just like Alder Cupo I ask, where have you been. It's sad that our Fair Haven and your Fair Haven my dear Alders, have been what it is now, Ghost Haven. Fair Haven has lots of potential and people that are caring. Some people may criticize the Lee Cruzes or the Kica Matos and others but they care and we need to work together. If our Alders don't do the right thing, then the historical communities of Fair Haven will be abandon just like these buildings were.

I'm very sorry to see these historic buildings go. The problem is they've been pretty much unoccupied for more than thirty years, and the decay set in long ago. The city does not have enough cash to pay for basic services, let alone historic preservation. There are three root causes. The gutlessness of the DeStefano administrations over many years in not fighting for adequate PILOT money. The largesse of the BOA in giving tax breaks to anyone with a good story to tell. And spending on ridiculous vanity projects like the Boathouse. Was it worth spending $30 million on an ugly building to house a chunk of an already demolished building? That $30 million could have been invested in these buildings and produced something worthwhile. Don't blame the present actors. They are just the messengers bringing the bad news.

The commenters above and the historians and preservationists Elihu Rubin and Rob Greenberg have said everything that I would have said. It is so sad that New Haven is losing its historical architecture and unique and beautiful buildings with architectural details and quality materials that would cost a fortune to replicate in a new building. Demolition by neglect is a tragedy in architecture, when it's the city at fault of the same, it borders on theft from the residents of the city. Shame on the city and shame on us all for not demanding that New Haven protect our city from becoming a new build ticky-tacky wasteland while allowing beautiful old historic buildings to rot and sit abandoned instead of insisting that that developers take another look at rehabbing these architectural gems for housing or mixed or commercial use. And then the city gives away a park while multiple old buildings around the city are crumbling from neglect.

Many people think that historic preservation is a niche interest, a charming old-school hobby like stamp collecting. The truth is that irreplaceable historic buildings are environmental assets, like clean water and public parks. Together, they create the rich and varied City we love. It is the building owner's job, whether public or private, to respect and protect these buildings, not to let them deteriorate. It is a terrible day for all New Haven residents when the local government throws up its (virtual) hands and demolishes a property listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One has to ask, "Why now?" What was the trigger for the sudden decision to demolish the Bigelow Boiler factory this week, with no public notice, no formal demolition permit, and in the midst of a State-funded Request for Proposals effort to stabilize the building.

I think a few deep breaths are in order. Is it a shame these buildings couldn't be salvaged and turned into something like artists lofts: yes. Is it a tragedy: no. Let's not pretend these are architectural marvels. They were big piles of brick. The northeast and midwest is littered with former industrial sites like these, with everyone trying to find a use for them. It won't always happen. I'm sure if there had been developers with cash in hand willing to take them over and renovate them, the city would have jumped at the chance. With a movie studio (eye roll) and breweries looking to move into this area, hopefully more productive uses can be found for these lots and the building that remains.

One had to wonder if the lure of a movie studio needing enough land in the area was part of the haste in demoing the building. It makes it awfully convenient to lose a historic building that the city couldn't find anyone to rehab, when two breweries and a movie studio are showing an interest in the area. It'll be there much more desirable for development when the city has paid for the cost of demo, and a developer can build new without the costs of rehabbing a historic property.

Yeah, I love historical buildings too. And it is indeed a shame to see it go. But the real reason why it's going is not neglect, not lack of care, not the elements. The real reason why this building has been empty for so long, and has arrived at the state that it's in, is HIGH TAXES! Making it more and more difficult for New Haven/CT based businesses to compete. That should be identified as the lesson to learn. Because if things were different that building would still be productively occupied by a business, or two.

This decay has sadly gone on for decades on those structures so blame cant be put on only the present powers that be in office. It is however a reflection of how little New Haven has cared about its past and doing something to preserve it. And all the historic buildings already lost forever validate that sad reality. City Hall really has to step up its game and do better for future generations. And in the case of the brewery building put the screws to the property owner to maintain their buildings with steep fines if they dont.

Secretagent has it exactly right. "Why now?" What do we know? Yes, the building was neglected for years. No, it was not an imminent danger. How do we know that? The City hired a structural engineer to assess the building, develop a stabilization and securing strategy and prepare construction documents for that work. How do we know that? Because the City had, or was ready to, advertise a request for proposals to solicit contractors to do the stabilization work. So we know Turcio's decision was not based on the engineering knowledge and results commissioned by the City. He ignored the best information available to him. So what happened? The stench on River Street emanates from City Hall. There was a decision made, behind closed doors, without public oversight, without any procedure, with not even a demolition permit, IN THE DARK. DEMOCRACY DIES IN THE DARK. We, of New Haven, need an accounting for this inexplicable act. A free and inquisitive press is a bulwark of the public sphere. The Independent did a good job on the "who, what, where, by whom". Now we need an investigative press to dig into the "why". IS THE INDEPENDENT UP TO THIS TASK?

Yale University is an expert at restoring, maintaining, and imitating old school architecture. Rather than a PILOT payment, they can restore a few buildings in town.

To John Rolli: The City itself is the owner of the entire Bigelow Boiler block! There is no one to fine or "put the screws on." In fact, the City Plan Department was in the midst of a Request for Proposals to stabilize the structure when the Building Department suddenly decided this was the moment to demolish. How curious that one department head would undercut another, with no opportunity for public notice or comment! One has to suspect politics or outside pressure was a factor.... To tmctague: Great idea! There is no lack of preservation contractors and experts; in fact Yale would likely hire the same companies to do the work as the City would. Yale doesn't need to take on the job; a $$ grant from Yale to save a rare and precious National Register listing would be ideal. It may be too late for this one but there are others at risk from the same kind of demolition by neglect.

Raise your hand if you- remember Justin Elicker promising transparency? I do Raise your hand if you- wonder why the building dept didn't notice mold at The Jungle for 40 yrs? I do. Raise your hand if you- believe that our city officials and alders do as they are told or else? I do. Raise your hand if you- are stupid /naive enough to keep voting any incumbent into office. Not I!

Thanks again Mayor Harp! Cleanup funds were tee'd up for her as she entered office and this historical site still rotted away. What a waste. What a tragedy.

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