After initially proposing to turn the site into a fuel cell generation station, the real estate developer that owns the English Station claims to have a new plan that involves razing the historic, century-old building. Luther Turmelle reports for the New Haven Register. This could be a relief for breathing members of the New Haven community, to whom the dormant plant represents an ongoing threat of a urban pollution. Obviously people will be anxious to see the term "undetermined industrial purpose" better defined.
While the developer has a history of preserving historic buildings (here and here), it seems that converting the polluted coal and oil burning facility into living space is not in the cards. As I have previously reported, UI shelled out almost $2million for environmental remediation but that money seems to have gone missing. Still, one wonders if the original building might be suitable for some "undetermined industrial purpose". It's a beautiful building.
(photo copyright 2007 Bruce Crowder)
1 comment:
Great piece, Bruce. I agree it's a shame they can't find a use for it. When I first saw the pic on my iPhone, I thought it was the trash to energy plant up in Hartford and my first thought was, "Good, but can we save the structure?" for the same reasons. Many of these plants were built at a time when even industrial buildings had a certain architectural flair. It would be a shame to lose a piece of history, regardless of how happy I am that it will stop poisoning Elm City residents.
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