{"id":569,"date":"2012-07-31T12:00:12","date_gmt":"2012-07-31T12:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/?p=569"},"modified":"2024-05-07T17:08:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T21:08:48","slug":"20-north-water-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/2012\/07\/31\/20-north-water-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Norwalk Company Factory"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_section et_pb_section_0 et_pb_with_background  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_section_regular et_block_section\" >\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_0  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_0  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_image et_pb_image_0 et_animated et-waypoint\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_pb_image_wrap \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1451\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Norwalk_Company_1607x2835-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"30 France Street\" title=\"Norwalk_Company_1607x2835\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Norwalk_Company_1607x2835-scaled.jpg 1451w, https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Norwalk_Company_1607x2835-1280x2258.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Norwalk_Company_1607x2835-980x1729.jpg 980w, https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Norwalk_Company_1607x2835-480x847.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) and (max-width: 1280px) 1280px, (min-width: 1281px) 1451px, 100vw\" class=\"wp-image-1760\" \/><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_gallery et_pb_gallery_0  et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_gallery_grid\">\n\t\t\t\t<div  data-dbdb-image-count-separator=\" of \"class=\"et_pb_gallery_items et_pb_grid_items et_post_gallery clearfix\" data-per_page=\"4\"><div class=\"et_pb_gallery_item et_pb_grid_item et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_pb_gallery_item_0_0\"><div class=\"et_pb_gallery_image landscape\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Norwalk_Company_view_540x352.jpg\" title=\"Norwalk_Company_view_540x352\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"284\" src=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Norwalk_Company_view_540x352-400x284.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Norwalk_Company_view_540x352.jpg 479w, https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Norwalk_Company_view_540x352-400x284.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width:479px) 479px, 100vw\" class=\"wp-image-1774\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_overlay\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><div class=\"et_pb_gallery_item et_pb_grid_item et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_pb_gallery_item_0_1\"><div class=\"et_pb_gallery_image landscape\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Norwalk_Company_demo2.jpg\" title=\"20 North Water Street\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"284\" src=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Norwalk_Company_demo2-400x284.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Norwalk_Company_demo2.jpg 479w, https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Norwalk_Company_demo2-400x284.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width:479px) 479px, 100vw\" class=\"wp-image-1548\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_overlay\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><div class=\"et_pb_gallery_item et_pb_grid_item et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_pb_gallery_item_0_2\"><div class=\"et_pb_gallery_image landscape\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Norwalk_Company_demo1.jpg\" title=\"20 North Water Street\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"284\" src=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Norwalk_Company_demo1-400x284.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Norwalk_Company_demo1.jpg 479w, https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Norwalk_Company_demo1-400x284.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width:479px) 479px, 100vw\" class=\"wp-image-1547\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_overlay\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"et_pb_gallery_pagination\"><\/div><\/div><style>@media only screen and (min-width: 981px){ .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item .et_pb_gallery_title, .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item .et_pb_gallery_image{max-width:83.5%;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;} .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item .et_pb_gallery_image img{width:100%;} }@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 980px){ .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item .et_pb_gallery_title, .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item .et_pb_gallery_image{max-width:83.5%;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;} .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item .et_pb_gallery_image img{width:100%;} }@media only screen and (max-width: 767px){ .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item .et_pb_gallery_title, .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item .et_pb_gallery_image{max-width:83.5%;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;} .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item .et_pb_gallery_image img{width:100%;} }@media only screen and (min-width: 981px){ .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item{margin-bottom:5.5%!important;} }@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 980px){ .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item{margin-bottom:5.5%!important;} }@media only screen and (max-width: 767px){ .et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item{margin-bottom:5.5%!important;} }<\/style><style>.et_pb_gallery_0 .et_pb_gallery_item.et_pb_grid_item .et_pb_gallery_image img { object-fit: initial !important; }<\/style><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_0 et_animated  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p>Photos by Tod Bryant, 2012<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_1  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_1 et_animated  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><h3>LOST<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_blurb et_pb_blurb_0  et_pb_text_align_left  et_pb_blurb_position_top et_block_module et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_blurb_content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_blurb_container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"et_pb_module_header\"><span>Norwalk Company Factory, 20 North Water Street<\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_blurb_description\"><p>The Norwalk Company building at 20 North Water Street was demolished in July 2012. The Norwalk Company factory (1875) stood as the eastern gateway to the South Norwalk district for more than a hundred years. It was one of the buildings that defined the area's 19th and early 20th century industrial and commercial character. That character is what the original Norwalk Preservation Trust, along with the city agencies, worked so hard to preserve in the 1970s.<\/p>\n<p>An argument was made that the demolition of the building would allow for widening the sidewalks and make the passage from the city-owned garage and the Maritime Center to Washington Street more open, drawing more people to Washington Street businesses. While a tempting argument, it wasn't the solution. North Water Street has one major obstacle to being an \"open\" passage: the railroad bridge. It looms dark and foreboding to anyone looking down or up the street. The demolition and the anticipated street changes do nothing to address this root problem. Losing a historic structure to create wider sidewalks is not an effective vision for the district.<\/p>\n<p>A previous approved plan for the building retained the facade and the character. Then developer abandoned that plan and another was approved with all new construction. This essential part of the historic streetscape\u2014the reason that SoNo was saved and exists today\u2014is irrevocably gone. The new building could be anywhere\u2014it is twice as large and has none of the character and roots that the existing structure has. The old brick facade was a billboard to let you know that you are entering an area that is unique, historic, and reflects Norwalk's industrial heritage.<\/p>\n<p>The question is not why the developer changed plans\u2014that's easy. Demolition and new construction cost less and deliver the numbers they want. The big questions are where was Redevelopment on holding the line for design standards in the historic district? Where was the Planning Commission on supporting the goals of the Master Plan for the area? Where was the Zoning Commission in adhering not just to the letter of the zoning regulations but to the spirit of preserving the character of SoNo? Where was the City of Norwalk in terms of thinking creatively about creating a comfortable, walkable corridor on North Water Street? Wider sidewalks are hardly the limit of what could have been done and still retain the building. Where does the City stand in terms of retaining the historic character of SoNo? Are we willing to let all the effort, work, and pride in rehabilitating the area be chipped away?<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_section_2 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_block_section\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_row_1 et_pb_row et_pb_equal_columns et_block_row\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_2 et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_image_1 et_pb_image et_pb_module et_block_module\"><span class=\"et_pb_image_wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/logo__004D63_white-CLEAR.png\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/logo__004D63_white-CLEAR.png 1200w, http:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/logo__004D63_white-CLEAR-980x980.png 980w, http:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/logo__004D63_white-CLEAR-480x480.png 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1200px, 100vw\" class=\"wp-image-829\" alt=\"Norwalk Preservation Trust\" title=\"logo__004D63_white-CLEAR\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_2 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_dark et_pb_module et_block_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><h3>Norwalk Preservation Trust<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_3 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_animated et_pb_module et_block_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><strong>MAILING ADDRESS<br \/><\/strong>P.O. Box 874<br \/>Norwalk, CT 06852<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_divider_0 et_pb_divider_hidden et_pb_space et_pb_divider_position_top et_animated et_pb_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_divider_internal\"><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_4 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_animated et_pb_module et_block_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><strong>PHONE<br \/><\/strong><span>203-246-4743<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_divider_1 et_pb_divider_hidden et_pb_space et_pb_divider_position_top et_animated et_pb_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_divider_internal\"><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_5 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_animated et_pb_module et_block_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><b>EMAIL<br \/><\/b><\/span><a href=\"mailto:info@norwalkpreservation.org\">info@norwalkpreservation.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column_3 et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_2 et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_icon_0 et_pb_icon et_pb_module et_block_module\"><span class=\"et_pb_icon_wrap\" data-icon=\"\ue010\"><span class=\"et-pb-icon\">\ue010<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_signup_0 et_pb_signup et_pb_newsletter et_pb_subscribe et_pb_no_bg et_pb_bg_layout_dark et_pb_text_align_center et_pb_module et_flex_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_newsletter_description\"><h3 class=\"et_pb_module_header\"> Sign Up for Our Mailing List<\/h3><div class=\"et_pb_newsletter_description_content\"><\/p>\n<p>Stay up-to-date with all of our current news and upcoming events.<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"et_pb_newsletter_form\"><form method=\"post\" class=\"\"><div class=\"et_pb_newsletter_result et_pb_newsletter_error\"><\/div><div class=\"et_pb_newsletter_result et_pb_newsletter_success\"><h2>Success!<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"et_pb_newsletter_fields et_flex_module\"><p class=\"et_pb_newsletter_field et_pb_contact_field_last et_pb_contact_field_last_tablet et_pb_contact_field_last_phone\"><label class=\"et_pb_contact_form_label\" for=\"et_pb_signup_firstname\">First Name<\/label><input class=\"input\" id=\"et_pb_signup_firstname\" type=\"text\" placeholder=\"First Name\" name=\"et_pb_signup_firstname\" \/><\/p><p class=\"et_pb_newsletter_field et_pb_contact_field_last et_pb_contact_field_last_tablet et_pb_contact_field_last_phone\"><label class=\"et_pb_contact_form_label\" for=\"et_pb_signup_lastname\">Last Name<\/label><input class=\"input\" id=\"et_pb_signup_lastname\" type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Last Name\" name=\"et_pb_signup_lastname\" \/><\/p><p class=\"et_pb_newsletter_field et_pb_contact_field_last et_pb_contact_field_last_tablet et_pb_contact_field_last_phone\"><label class=\"et_pb_contact_form_label\" for=\"et_pb_signup_email\">Email<\/label><input class=\"input\" id=\"et_pb_signup_email\" type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Email\" name=\"et_pb_signup_email\" \/><\/p><p class=\"et_pb_newsletter_button_wrap\"><a class=\"et_pb_button et_pb_newsletter_button\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"et_subscribe_loader\"><\/span><span class=\"et_pb_newsletter_button_text\">SUBMIT<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"et_pb_signup_provider\" value=\"mailchimp\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"et_pb_signup_list_id\" value=\"0de50f5f8b\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"et_pb_signup_account_name\" value=\"Norwalk Preservation Trust\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"et_pb_signup_ip_address\" value=\"true\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"et_pb_signup_checksum\" value=\"961aff7255c6795504be889d29b50d8a\" \/><\/form><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Norwalk Company factory (1875) at 20 North Water Street stood as the eastern gateway to the South Norwalk district for more than a hundred years. It was one of the buildings that defined the area&#8217;s 19th and early 20th century industrial and commercial character.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1556,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lost","category-past-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2955,"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569\/revisions\/2955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norwalkpreservation.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}