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In East Haddam, Goodspeed Musicals has created an Artists’ Village – they believe the only one of its kind in the country. The 17 new houses will serve visiting cast members for productions at the Opera House. As WNPR’s Sarah Miner reports, the project also aims to re-ignite the spirit of a historic district.
"Let's go in here....This is the Joffray House ..This is a six bedroom house....”
That's Dan McMahon, who co-managed this project for Goodspeed Musicals – he's taking me on a tour of the new $5.5 million Artist Village.
"Like a hotel we have the keys for each bedroom so you can lock off your room when you’re away at rehearsal or at the show or whatever. This big bedroom…. I mean come on now, sleigh bed, and desk, nice big closet – because you’re going to come and live here for four months."
The new properties were officially opened last month. And thanks to a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Economic and Community Development and a number of private donors – the village of East Haddam has had what its supporters hope is a visual and economic facelift.
“In the big picture, we changed a town. And we like to think, for the better. We hope we’ve spurred economic activity so that the retail contingent will come in here, and this village will be so bustling that the tax base will be enhanced.”
Constructed in 1876, the Opera House was built by businessman William Goodspeed to provide a place to indulge his love of theater. In the years to follow, the building served as a general store, a militia base and a storage facility until 1959 when Goodspeed Musicals restored it to its original purpose. With every show comes a full cast and crew who call East Haddam home for up to six months. Executive Director Michael Price, says it has always been at the top of his list to have a place where artists can settle in.
“But it took a long time, and in the meantime we acquired a lot of boarding houses. People had to share kitchens and bathrooms and all kinds of things like that. And if you want a seasoned actor, you don’t want to live in a boardinghouse.”
Nestled along the Connecticut River in East Haddam Village, the new buildings were designed to fit with the town's character, but incorporate modern building features, like geo-thermal heating and cooling, recycled fibers for the carpets and pervious cement for water drainage and run-off management. Patrick Pinnell was the lead planner and architect on the project.
“The biggest challenge for this project is to overcome a kind of reflexive suburban mentality - this is a historic village center in which historically the density of households and human beings was much higher than what people have gotten used to since the Second World War.”
The overall economic goal for the project was to integrate the homes into the community and bring people downtown to shop and live.
"The center of East Haddam Village has not only the Goodspeed, but Gelston House, another couple of restaurants, the village hall. When you can get more people within comfortable walking distance of things, the walking human beings are a kind of glue that helps the whole thing link better together."
Mike Lenares, of Lenares Landscape and Design has been in business for almost 22 years and was grateful to win the bid on the project.
“This was a great project to do. It was a great economic impact for us. It kept our guys busy – it kept a lot of contractors down there busy. There was paving guys, concrete guys, siding, painting, electrical. Basically it gave a shot in the arm, a nice adrenaline for contractors, give them some hope that maybe things are starting to turn around in the state of the Connecticut. Maybe things are going to go in the right direction. Everyone who worked down there should be proud what they did – the end result is incredible."
The project took about two years to complete and in the end - created 121 construction jobs and used local contractors from all over the state of Connecticut. For The Goodspeed’s Michael Price, there was no other option.
“Half the money came from the state of Connecticut and the other half of the money came from the citizens of Connecticut, who are our patrons. And that’s our obligation to our community, to plow back into the community the dollars that are given to us.”
And now, what’s next for Goodspeed Musicals? If it were up to Michael Price, he would tell you this:
“My big dream is to have a showboat in the river, and to .my dying day I'll always want that. I think if there’s anything I want to do it’s to be here when I'm old and grey and in my rocking chair, sitting on the bow of the boat like Mark Twain, saying ‘Welcome to the Goodspeed Showboat.’”
For WNPR News, I'm Sarah Miner.
