Demolition of E. Hartford's blighted Showcase Cinemas delayed
Photo | Journal Inquirer/Jess Hill
Two excavators grab at debris as a worker sprays water during the demolition of the former Showcase Cinemas in East Hartford that started in early November.
EAST HARTFORD -- Completion of the blighted Showcase Cinemas demolition on Silver Lane will take longer than expected, due to workers finding more hazardous materials at the site than expected.
However, town officials’ spirits haven’t dampened on the potential of the soon-to-be vacant land that’s visible from Interstate 84.
The razing of the building began in November, and work should finish sometime in January, town officials said.
“Presently, the demolition was to be completed by year-end, but the final removal of the foundation revealed some additional abatement is necessary,” Mayor Marcia Leclerc said this week. “As a result, approximately two weeks have been added to the wrap-up.”
Town Council Chairman Richard Kehoe said there are “very minor issues,” where workers are clearing out any lingering, harmful fibers on site. He added that the slight delay is a result of standard, “surgical” procedures to remove the materials. Kehoe said the first or second week of January is an appropriate estimate for the demolition to officially conclude.
Leclerc said the demolition of the long-deserted cinemas is a positive occurrence for the town and that officials are optimistic about the town-owned real estate that will be freed once the 66,000-square-foot building is completely razed.
As first reported by Hartford Business Journal, the town acquired the land a year ago for $3.3 million.
The cinemas closed in 2006 and the vacant property has slowly decayed and become an eyesore in the past 13 years. In September, the Town Council awarded Cherry Hill Construction Inc. of North Branford, an $800,000 contract to raze the building.
Kehoe said conversation amongst officials for how the land could be utilized once it’s cleared hasn’t changed much. In the months leading up to the building’s demolition, dialogue involved making the area pedestrian-friendly. This included ideas to develop residential areas with space for retail and restaurants, though planning is preliminary.
“The town remains open to discussions on use, but is leaning toward mixed-use development,” Leclerc said. “Discussions regarding the future of the site remain our top priority and we are excited to have a cleaned, cleared parcel of land to showcase.”
Hartford Business Journal contributed to this story
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Offering this property for sale in whole or in parcels would be a good idea,
if responsible buyers could be found.
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