Great Preservation Opportunities

Over the years, the taxpayers of Connecticut have invested in a wide range of facilities for public uses. Designed to be functional, long-lasting, and dignified, many of these public properties are historically significant and important parts of the state’s landscape. When these facilities are no longer needed by the state, there is an opportunity to convert them to other uses.

            However, the state’s de-accessioning process, which must vet potential developers while avoiding any possibility of favoritism, can be extremely time-consuming. There must be public advertisements, competitive proposals, and review by at least four bodies: the State Properties Review Board, two legislative committees, and the Attorney General’s office. All this takes time, and in the process the last agency to use the property is expected to maintain it—needless to say, that often is not a priority.

            Some important sites have suffered from drawn-out processes. It took so long to find a developer for the Preston portion of the former Norwich State Hospital that most of the historic hospital buildings are now considered too deteriorated to use. There are similar fears at the Seaside Center, in Waterford, where the state’s preferred developer asked the town to modify its zoning regulations so he could demolish historic buildings if he believes they are too deteriorated (see CPN, July/August 2011). Waterford turned down the developer’s request, but that he made it highlights the issue.

            Unfortunately, the state de-accessioning process does not take historic status into account. Two properties recently put up for proposals—the Litchfield Jail, in Litchfield, and the Nathan Hale Hotel, in Willimantic—are listed on the National Register, but none of the state’s materials mention that (they do disclose that the jail property is zoned “historic business”). Reporting that a property has historic designation and might qualify for rehabilitation tax credits or other benefits, could help to attract bidders.

            Deaccessioned historic properties also receive no protection from the state. An employee responsible for overseeing property disposal felt that preservation restrictions would make finding buyers too difficult and would reduce sales prices. “We’re fortunate to sell anything as it is,” he said. “Our goal is to sell the property and get as much money as possible for the taxpayers.”

            What’s next? The Department of Public Works is currently preparing to put the former Mystic Oral School, in Groton, up for bids. The school, which closed in 1980, sits on a large, mostly wooded, property overlooking the Mystic River. The campus includes several large brick buildings constructed between 1911 and 1940 and good examples of institutional Colonial Revival design. As a long-running public institution and one of the last publicly operated educational facilities for the deaf that taught lip-reading rather than sign language as a primary means of communication, the school appears to be eligible for State or National Register listing.

            Over the years, the people of Connecticut have invested in substantial and well-designed public institutions, many of which are significant works of architecture and significant elements of the social and governmental landscape. The public investment these sites represent consists not only of the money expended to purchase land and construct facilities—often of a higher quality than similar private institutions. It also consists of the public will and effort invested in creating public institutions, and in designing and planning them to operate efficiently and to be visible expressions of the worthy ends which they embodied.

            In order to protect this substantial investment, several improvements can be made to the State’s de-accessioning process:

Advertisements should disclose any historic designation and describe potential consequences of designation, such as local historic district regulation, eligibility for tax benefits, and potential flexibility in meeting code requirements.

The State Historic Preservation Office should review properties to be sold and where appropriate put in place preservation restrictions to protect significant buildings, structures, and landscapes. As an alternative, towns could be encouraged to create local historic districts or local historic properties, with assistance from the State Historic Preservation Office and cooperation by the state agency responsible for the property.

            Towns should receive assistance in considering historic character in deciding whether to exercise their right of first refusal. The Connecticut Circuit Riders or the State Historic Preservation Office could deliver this.

Properties to be sold should receive adequate maintenance during the disposition process. In some cases this may require more than minimal maintenance. Agencies need adequate resources to do this. Or, DPW could take responsibility for properties in the disposition process, using a percentage taken from the sale of any state property to create a maintenance fund.

For more information: Department of Public Works, Sale of State Property: go to www.ct.gov/dpw/ and click on “Surplus Property.” [Note: DPW is currently being consolidated with the Department of Administrative Services.]  

PHOTOGRAPH: The State will soon put the former Mystic Oral School, in Groton, up for sale. credit: T. Levine