Bristol Old Tyme Fiddlers' Club Museum

Bristol is truly fortunate to be served by two newspapers, The Bristol Press, and the Hartford Courant. Our endeavor to create the new museum has resulted in many articles about the steps and mis-steps we have made in the process, as well as some wonderful editorial support that both newspapers have given to the overall process and our specific proposals. The Bristol Press has given us permission to use their articles on our web site, and we are currently in talks with theTimes Media Services to post their articles here also.

     Front PageOld house moved to new home By    JOANNA  MECHLINSKI, The Bristol Press07/12/2004

      BRISTOL -- Developers moved the oldest house on Main Street across the road Sunday morning.
      The white, blue-shuttered Federal-style house, which was built in 1820, was in the way of a new parking lot for the library. Had developer Ken Karl not moved the house, the city planned to knock it down by the middle of the month.
     Line workers arrived around 8 a.m., followed by the police an hour later. Shortly before 10 a.m., Rhode Island-based Eastman Building Movers hauled the house from 308 Main St. across the street to 313 Main St., a city-owned lot. The entire process took about 40 minutes.
     "It was a lot smoother move than we imagined," Karl said. "We’re thrilled and happy."
      While moving the house on a Sunday cost about $4,000 to $5,000 more in overtime, Karl said there was much less disruption. Power and cable were turned off in the neighborhood for about an hour and a half, though it did not affect the library, which is closed Sundays.
     "Nothing compares to what it could have been," he said.
     Main Street resident Steve Coan said the only glitch was when the house was being moved past a fire hydrant and the wheels got stuck. A loader was used to help maneuver.
     "After that, it took about two minutes," Coan said. "It was amazing."
Cohen said he was glad the house is being preserved.
"Downtown is essentially gone now," he said. "At some point you have to put your foot down. It needs some work but it’s a good sturdy house."
     This week, the city will raze the former Community Mental Health Associates Inc. building at 300 Main St.
     Karl said the house will remain on blocks at 313 Main St. until zoning issues are resolved -- probably about two months. He spent Sunday afternoon with his father, boarding up the house and making it generally safer. "Next week we’ll be making it a little prettier," he said. "Nobody wants an eyesore on Main Street."
©The Bristol Press 2005

PHOTO CAPTION ONLY -- MOVING DAY; [2/5 WEST CENTRAL/FARMINGTON VALLEY Edition]
Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Jul 12, 2004. pg. B.3

Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Jul 12, 2004. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 661743361
Text Word Count 74
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=661743361&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD
)
(Copyright The Hartford Courant 2004)
Caption text only.
[Illustration]
PHOTO: (B&W); BRIAN WAGNER / THE HARTFORD COURANT;

To view this photogragh please visit the Hartford Courant's website, or the July 12, 2004 copy of the Hartford Courant

A PRESERVATION ETHIC EMERGES ; OUR TOWNS; BRISTOL; [2 WEST CENTRAL Edition]
Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Apr 30, 2003. pg. A.14

Document types: EDITORIAL
Section: EDITORIAL
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Apr 30, 2003. pg. A.14
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 331058841
Text Word Count 325
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=331058841&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Abstract (Document Summary)
In the past few years, Bristol has begun to view its historical buildings with a new appreciation. The Main Street house has become the latest beneficiary of that awareness. Debate over the building's future has risen to the level of the Connecticut Historical Commission. As a result, the city is now considering two proposals for saving the building. One idea, still taking shape, would pare the house back to its original dimensions and move it across the street to a city-owned lot at 321 Main St. for use as an office -- possibly by a nonprofit agency.

Full Text (325 words)
(Copyright The Hartford Courant 2003)
A lot of debate has been generated over the fate of a historic house on Bristol's Main Street that is standing in the way of a planned, multimillion-dollar library expansion. But the controversy shouldn't obscure another significant landmark: Bristol is developing a genuine preservation ethic.

The 180-year-old Federal-style house at 308 Main St. is remarkable more for being part of the Federal Hill Historic District than for anything in its own right. Some say the house was built by a clockmaker around 1820. Although it retains some interesting and original features -- a fireplace, a mantel, stairs, an intricately carved railing -- the former home bears the undeniable stamp of commercial life in the 20th century. It has been subjected to a series of additions and divisions for office space.

Several years ago, Bristol bought the house for $300,000 with the aim of knocking it down and making a parking lot for the library.

Not long ago, a historic building in Bristol that was in the path of progress would have ended up as little more than an afterthought. Consider the housing authority's demolition of the former 1700s-era Mark Lewis House on Jerome Avenue two years ago, or the destruction of the old post office building on lower Main Street.

But in the past few years, Bristol has begun to view its historical buildings with a new appreciation. The Main Street house has become the latest beneficiary of that awareness. Debate over the building's future has risen to the level of the Connecticut Historical Commission. As a result, the city is now considering two proposals for saving the building. One idea, still taking shape, would pare the house back to its original dimensions and move it across the street to a city-owned lot at 321 Main St. for use as an office -- possibly by a nonprofit agency.

Bristol officials, including council member Ellen Zoppo, should be congratulated for helping to shape this preservation ethic.

Editorial Front Page When a reasonable alternative exists 05/14/2003
     Can progress and preservation co-exist happily in a community? It may not always be easy, but sometimes it is possible with a little ingenuity and a lot of determination. Take for example, the case of 308 Main St.
      Without additional on-site parking, the city’s upcoming $10 million renovation of the public library on Main Street would make little sense. Why invest a lot of money to encourage greater use of the building if there is insufficient parking for patrons?
     A solution envisioned by city leaders is to utilize property it purchased for $300,000 at 308 Main St. for additional parking. Never mind that a house that traces its origins to the early 1800s occupies the site. Razing the building seemed to be the easy answer.
     That is what might have happened a few decades ago when under the banner of urban renewal much of the downtown area was turned into a dust bowl and a landmark post office disappeared. Or more recently, when the need for housing authority office space sounded the death knell for the Mark Lewis house of Jerome Avenue, a building that contained elements from the 18th century.
     However, times have changed and city leaders, prodded by the Bristol Historical Society and others, no longer look at preservation as an obstacle to improvement schemes.
     This change of attitude is good news for people who think there is enough of historic interest left in the Federal-style house at 308 Main St. to merit its preservation. The original fireplace and mantel, stairs and a delicately carved railing, oak flooring and most of its beams and rafters of the old house remain intact. But later changes to accommodate commercialization have altered its visage.
     Several city officials, including two Democratic candidates for mayor, councilors Gerard Couture and Joe Wilson, are on record as wanting the save the building.
     The vehicle for salvation is a proposed deal that would allow Kenneth Karl of Plymouth to acquire the old house and an empty city-owned lot at 321 Main St. for $1. He would then move the house, from the east side of Main Street to the lot across the street, fixing the building up to accentuate its original look while providing offices for a nonprofit agency or a similar entity.
     While the deal seems workable and worthwhile, it is far from a slam dunk. A deal breaker may be that the city wants to use 321 Main St. as a staging area for the library construction project. Still, Karl remains optimistic that even this issue can be resolved.
     Moreover, city officials appear willing to talk about the plan, particularly since the state historical commission is looking over their shoulder and they must demonstrate there are no reasonable alternatives before they level the house.
     Karl has placed an alternative on the table and with some council members already viewing his proposal as reasonable it might not be long before Bristol can point to upper Main Street as an example of how it values its heritage.
©The Bristol Press 2005

A NOTEWORTHY PROPOSAL ; OUR TOWNS; BRISTOL; [STATEWIDE Edition]
Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Aug 28, 2003. pg. A.18

People: Lagace, Gerald
Document types: EDITORIAL
Section: EDITORIAL
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Aug 28, 2003. pg. A.18
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 389941001
Text Word Count 312
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=389941001&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Abstract (Document Summary)
For more than a month, Mr. [Kenneth Karl] and Gerald Lagace, president and founder of the fiddler's club, have discussed the possibility of turning the home into a museum devoted to fiddling. Mr. Lagace said the museum would be a showcase for his 30 fiddles and other memorabilia. It could also feature recordings of the club's many performances and exhibits on the history of fiddle music and the craft of fiddle making. Under the plan, the house would be donated to the club, which would be responsible for its maintenance. This popular club, which performs about 150 times a year, currently operates out of members' homes.

Full Text (312 words)
(Copyright The Hartford Courant 2003)
It's an idea that carries a certain resonance -- no fiddling around.

The Bristol Old Tyme Fiddler's Club, an organization devoted to the art of fiddling that has for the past three decades delighted audiences both young and old with performances throughout Connecticut, proposes to set up a museum in a small home in the city's historic Federal Hill section.

City officials sought proposals for preserving the home, a 180- year-old Federal-style house at 308 Main St. that stands in the path of a multimillion-dollar expansion of the library. The best plan, submitted by Plymouth developer Kenneth Karl, would restore the home to its original look and move it across the street to a city-owned lot at 321 Main St. for use by a nonprofit organization.

For more than a month, Mr. Karl and Gerald Lagace, president and founder of the fiddler's club, have discussed the possibility of turning the home into a museum devoted to fiddling. Mr. Lagace said the museum would be a showcase for his 30 fiddles and other memorabilia. It could also feature recordings of the club's many performances and exhibits on the history of fiddle music and the craft of fiddle making. Under the plan, the house would be donated to the club, which would be responsible for its maintenance. This popular club, which performs about 150 times a year, currently operates out of members' homes.

As Mr. Lagace notes, the mission of the fiddler's club -- which is to preserve and promote a historical musical form -- and that of a museum are compatible. The house, with its original fireplace, mantel, stairway and intricately carved railing, could offer an appropriate setting. Such a museum would give Bristol another attraction like the Clock and Watch Museum, Carousel Museum and historical society exhibits.

Finally, a fiddling museum could add another note of entertainment and interest to Bristol's downtown.

HOUSE ON SHAKY FOUNDATION ; OUR TOWNS; BRISTOL; [2/5 WEST CENTRAL/FARMINGTON VALLEY Edition]
Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Feb 23, 2004. pg. A.8

People: Karl, Kenneth
Document types: EDITORIAL
Section: EDITORIAL
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Feb 23, 2004. pg. A.8
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 548920371
Text Word Count 315
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=548920371&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Abstract (Document Summary)
Last year, city officials sent out requests for proposals as a way of seeking alternatives to demolishing 308 Main St. It selected Kenneth Karl of Plymouth, a builder with experience in preservation. Bristol agreed to sell or lease city-owned property across from the library to Mr. Karl. In exchange, he agreed to move the building, renovate it and lease it as office space.

Full Text (315 words)
(Copyright The Hartford Courant 2004)
With less than three months remaining before work is due to begin on a multimillion-dollar expansion of Bristol's public library, prospects for saving a historic home in the path of the project are looking bleak. If city officials really want to save this building, they'd better come up with an alternative.

The 180-year-old Federal-style house at 308 Main St. has some nice original features -- a fireplace, a mantle, stairs and an intricately carved railing. But, historically speaking, its strongest suit is that it is part of the Federal Hill Historic District. Some say the house was built by a clockmaker around 1820.

Bristol bought the house for $300,000 several years ago with the aim of knocking it down to make room for a library parking lot. Meanwhile, the city lost the 1700s-era Mark Lewis House on Jerome Avenue and the post office building on lower Main Street. Realizing that history demolished is a unique legacy lost, Bristol began developing a stronger preservation ethic.

Last year, city officials sent out requests for proposals as a way of seeking alternatives to demolishing 308 Main St. It selected Kenneth Karl of Plymouth, a builder with experience in preservation. Bristol agreed to sell or lease city-owned property across from the library to Mr. Karl. In exchange, he agreed to move the building, renovate it and lease it as office space.

But, as the May 5 deadline for the library project approaches, it's not clear the city and Mr. Karl are on the same schedule.

In a recent telephone conversation, Mr. Karl seemed committed to moving the house. Although he still lacks approvals from the city and electrical utility (whose power lines must be moved as part of the relocation), he expressed confidence he would get them. He also lacks insurance for the move, and seems content to let the city work out those details.

Time is running out.

DENTIST OFFERS PROPERTY SALE COULD AID LIBRARY PARKING; [2 WEST CENTRAL Edition]
AL LARA, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Aug 5, 1997. pg. B.1
Author(s): AL LARA, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL --
Section: TOWN NEWS
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Aug 5, 1997. pg. B.1
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 13372853
Text Word Count 358
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=13372853&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD
(Copyright @ The Hartford Courant 1997)
A Bristol dentist is offering to sell his property as a solution to the Bristol Public Library's parking problem.

Meanwhile another nearby building being foreclosed on by the city may also provide parking spaces.

Dentist Joseph A. Cydylo Jr. wrote a letter to library director Francine Petosa alerting her to the sale of his building. The Federal Hill Dental Group at 308 Main St. is a 7,000-square-foot medical office building separated from the main library branch only by another medical office building.

The property has 60 parking spaces. Cydylo wrote that the property is for sale for $300,000, and demolition of the building itself could yield another 25 parking spaces.

Recently, the library had considered buying property for $118,000 that would yield only 10 spaces, Cydylo wrote.

However, Steve Coan, a member of the For a Better Library Experience advocate group, noted that the dentist's building is a historically protected building. Coan also participates on the Local Historic District Study Committee.

Instead, Coan told the library board Monday about another building, across the street from the library, which is in the process of foreclosure and will likely revert back to the city. The building, which has no historic designation, could be demolished for less than $100,000 and yield as many parking spaces as the dental offices, said Coan.

"I think I have a solution to our parking problem," said library board member Georgina Cawley, handing out a postcard of a library in Juneau, Alaska she recently visited. The library is built on top of a parking garage.

Coan's and Cydylo's suggestions were referred to the city real estate committee.

Front Page- Council says city-owned home may be worth saving By STEVE COLLINS, Staff Writer01/06/2002

     BRISTOL -- Before knocking down a Greek Revival house uphill from the library, city leaders said last week they will hire an expert to assess its historical and architectural value.
     Councilor Ellen Zoppo said she asked colleagues to support asking an expert to examine the city-owned building at 308 Main St. and its history and she got plenty of backing for the idea.
     "The city should hold itself as the standard," said Zoppo, who's active with the Federal Hill Association and touted historic preservation during her recent campaign.
     Mayor Frank Nicastro said he would go along with bringing in an outside expert "to take a look" at the house, but he said he was frustrated that nobody raised the issue earlier. The mayor said the city purchased a former dental office -- which included the old house as part of its structure -- with the widely publicized intention of knocking it down to make way for extra library parking.
      "That's pure fact," Nicastro said, adding that the Board of Finance and city councilors would never have gone along with spending $300,000 or so for the property several years ago if they'd had any inkling the house might have to remain.
     Nicastro said the house, where an early clockmaking family apparently lived, is "a mess" be-cause of all the changes made over the years. The office housed a juvenile court before the dentist moved in, he said.
     Both Zoppo and Councilor Joe Wilson said the city needs to pay more attention to historic preservation issues. Wilson said city leaders need to sit down with preservationists in town "and plan with them how we approach these properties" to make sure that important historical buildings are saved whenever possible.
     "It's all part of good city planning," he said.
     Preservationists have been sharply critical of the spate of demolitions that have cleared away some old buildings, remodeled others badly and put still others in the middle of heated controversy.
     Last summer, for example, the Bristol Housing Authority razed the 215-year-old Mark Lewis house on Jerome Avenue to clear the way for a new administrative office. City Hall came under fire as well for reconstructing the bathhouse roof at Rockwell Park in a historically improper way.
      Zoppo said that more people need to be involved in the decision-making process when it comes to projects involving older buildings. If preservationists are involved from the start -- and uninvolved outside experts are called in to settle the facts -- then there should be less controversy, she said.
     At this point, Zoppo said, there's no way to know if the Main Street house is worth saving.
     "We are not the experts," she said. Creating a process that guarantees expert involvement, she said, would "remove some of the emotion from the process."
     Zoppo said she also plans to seek to a broader distribution of demolition notices so that more community activists will have a chance to review and potentially delay plans to raze important buildings. She said groups such as the Federal Hill Association and the Bristol Historical Society should receive notices so they would have more opportunity to step in.
©The Bristol Press 2005
Dr Tom Laga Jan, 08 2002
YOU MAY POST MY OPINION ONLINE & IN PRINT.
I'd like to thank Steve Collins for his article on preservation {1/6/02}. I'd like to congratulate Councilor Ellen Zoppo for keeping her campaign promise on historic preservation by taking a stand on the city-owned building at 308 Main Street. While Mayor Nicastro expressed frustration that "nobody had raised the issue earlier," my guess is that Bristol's most knowledgable preservationist [Cheryl Barb] DID raise the issue but city hall wasn't listening. I've wondered why the city doesn't HAVE a process for determining the architectural and historical value of a property in place--learning from past historical/architectural disasters. Or why didn't city hall ask Ms Barb? Or contact the Connecticut {Historic} Preservation Trust? So I agree with Councilor Zoppo when she said: "Creating a process that guarantees expert involvement {re historic preservation}would remove some of the emotion from the process." The key factor reported by Steve Collins is what could be the crown jewel in Mayor Nicastro's long reign. Collins writes: "Both Councilors Zoppo and Wilson said that THE CITY NEEDS TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION ISSUES. Wilson sid that city leaders need to sit down with preservationists in town and 'plan with them how we should approach these properties' to make sure that important historical buildings are saved whenever possible." I trust that the upcoming meetings with preservationists will go beyond 308 Main Street and focus on a very ugly upper Main Street--from Center Street to the railroad overpass. I pray that preservationists persuade the populace and politicians to perk-up and perpetuate their pride. Sincerely, Dr Tom Laga, Bristol
Dr Tom Laga Jan, 08 2002
You may post my opinion online and in print.

Front PageExpert: house could be restored By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press01/12/2002
     BRISTOL -- Following an architectural historian's tour of the 308 Main St. building Friday, it's anything but clear whether the city should follow through on plans to tear it down.
     Though the 180-year-old Federal style house has had several additions that chopped it up to make medical offices a half century ago, it still has its elaborate fireplace and mantel, original stairs and a delicately carved railing, oak flooring and most of its beams and rafters still in place.
     David Ransom, an expert from Hartford, said it would be possible to do "a reasonable restoration" of the house but the cost could be "enormous."
     He said that "chances are that the framework" of the house remains and is "reasonably stable," except that the bottom of the front section is gone, torn away about 50 years ago as part of the construction that added a slew of medical offices to the historic structure.
     Cheryl Barb, a local preservationist who joined Ransom and city officials on the tour, said the city should give up plans to knock the building down and focus instead on restoring the original house.
     The city bought the property several years ago with the intention of razing the building to increase available parking for the library on High Street. But preservationists recently raised objections after learning the demolition could come soon.
     With a push from Councilor Ellen Zoppo, Mayor Frank Nicastro agreed to hire Ransom to assess the building's condition and history.
     He said his report will pretty much duplicate what he told officials during the walk-through Friday. He will not, he said, make recommendations about what course the city should pursue.
     Barb, whose work has led to federal historic designations for many buildings in town, said there shouldn't be any doubt the house deserves preservation.
      She said her research indicates that a slew of prominent Bristol residents have lived in the house, including 19th century notables Titus Roberts, Elisha Brewster, Joseph Camp, David Hawley and Dr. Roswell Hawley and his widow Jane Hawley.
     Roswell Hawley was apparently a son of Joseph Roswell Hawley, a prominent Civil War general and publisher of the Hartford Courant. Ransom that gives him "a sort of claim to fame by association."
     Ransom, who will detail his findings about the house in a report to the city next week, said it was probably built by a clockmaker about 1820. He said the house had two stories, with a portico entrance and probably a rear section that is completely gone today.
     He said the house stayed pretty much intact until about 1950 when "it began to get altered and enlarged."
     What happened is a little unclear, but medical offices were added in front, a nice apartment installed in the rear and some 4,000 square feet of office space was put in a basement area that was constructed around the original stone cellar -- without connecting to the old section anywhere.
     Ransom said the Federal style fireplace and mantel "are quite elaborate and well done."
     "If this place gets torn down, somebody should grab it," he said.
     The stair railing, too, is "a handsome piece of work," Ransom said.
     "The railing is gorgeous," said Harriet Lorenz, who's second in command at the library.
     The attic and cellar section, which Barb and Ransom explored with a flashlight, are mostly original as well.
     Peering into dark corners in the basement, Barb said, "The stone stuff's interesting."
     Both Ransom and Barb said there are many hand-hewn beams intact and the flooring is also original in at least some parts of the house.
     The city is unlikely to make a final decision on the house until at least February.
     Officials are eyeing the possibility of buying the Community Mental Health Associates building at 300 Main St., between the library and 308 Main, to help make a $10 million library addition work out better. They said they may wait to see what happens with the 300 Main St. property before resolving the fate of the house the city owns next door.
©The Bristol Press 2005

PLAN SEEKS HISTORICAL ASSESSMENTS:[2 WEST CENTRAL EDITION] LORETTA WALDMAN, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Feb 21, 2002. pg. B.3
People: Zoppo-Sassu, Ellen
Author(s): LORETTA WALDMAN, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Feb 21, 2002. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 109545454
Text Word Count 531
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=109545454&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD
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Abstract (Document Summary)
[Ellen Zoppo-Sassu] first broached the idea at a council meeting in January, and on Feb. 5 formally presented it to the council's ordinance committee. The amendment also would expand the number of organizations to be notified of a demolition to include the Bristol Historical Society, the Federal Hill Association and the American Clock and Watch Museum. The only organization that now is supposed to be notified is the Bristol Historic Preservation Trust, an inactive group that hasn't met in six years.

Recent fights over the Lewis House and another building at 51 High St. highlighted the need for the change, Zoppo-Sassu said. The tussle over the Lewis House dragged on for four months. It pitted the Bristol Housing Authority -- which wanted to level the building at 164 Jerome Ave. to expand administrative offices -- against local preservationists, intent on saving the 18th century homestead of one of the city's original settlers. A historic survey later determined that the structure had been architecturally compromised by numerous alterations and it was torn down.

Full Text (531 words)
(Copyright @ The Hartford Courant 2002)
Hoping to prevent standoffs like the one last year over the Mark Lewis House, a junior member of the city council is attempting to amend a city ordinance regulating the demolition of historic property.

Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, a first-term Democrat, is asking that a provision be added to the ordinance requiring a historical assessment of a building before demolition is allowed. The exisiting ordinance allows for a 60-day delay when property targeted for demolition is believed to be historically significant.

"In the last two years we have seen demolition of historic properties become somewhat confrontational," Zoppo-Sassu said Wednesday. "This would avoid the emotional controversy. It brings everything to the forefront."

Zoppo-Sassu first broached the idea at a council meeting in January, and on Feb. 5 formally presented it to the council's ordinance committee. The amendment also would expand the number of organizations to be notified of a demolition to include the Bristol Historical Society, the Federal Hill Association and the American Clock and Watch Museum. The only organization that now is supposed to be notified is the Bristol Historic Preservation Trust, an inactive group that hasn't met in six years.

Recent fights over the Lewis House and another building at 51 High St. highlighted the need for the change, Zoppo-Sassu said. The tussle over the Lewis House dragged on for four months. It pitted the Bristol Housing Authority -- which wanted to level the building at 164 Jerome Ave. to expand administrative offices -- against local preservationists, intent on saving the 18th century homestead of one of the city's original settlers. A historic survey later determined that the structure had been architecturally compromised by numerous alterations and it was torn down.

Sensing a similar debate might envelop a city-owned building at 308 Main St., Zoppo-Sassu approached Mayor Frank N. Nicastro Sr. about having that house surveyed by David Ransom, the same Hartford- based architectural historian who evaluated the Lewis House.

The city bought the building about three years ago in anticipation of the expansion of the Bristol Public Library. City officials are negotiating the purchase of a neighboring building at 300 Main St., occupied by Connecticut Mental Health Associates. They have yet to decide the fate of 308 Main St., a much-modified Federal style home most recently used as a dental office.

While unfamiliar with the particulars of the amendment, Nicastro said he understands and agrees with what Zoppo-Sassu is trying to do. By getting an assessment beforehand, the city would be in a position to save thousands of dollars in litigation and lost time, he said.

Cheryl Barb, a local preservationist, said she also supports the effort, but hopes the ordinance committee would consult with the state historic commission and the preservation officer to make sure the regulation is done right.

"I would hope that they would contact them for advice and guidance so they know what their options are and they craft the best ordinance possible," Barb said.

The amendment would only apply to city-owned buildings, Zoppo- Sassu said.

"I feel strongly that the city should set the standard of how we treat historic property," she said, "but we would not mandate this for someone buying a historic structure privately."
Copyright The Hartford Courant 2002)

OLD HOUSE IN PATH OF LIBRARY ADDITION; [2 WEST CENTRAL Edition]
LORETTA WALDMAN, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: May 23, 2002. pg. B.3
People: Petosa, Francine
Author(s): LORETTA WALDMAN, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: May 23, 2002. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 121076354
Text Word Count 451
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=121076354&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

You can view this article online at the Hartford Courant's website, or in the May 23, 2002 copy of The Hartford Courant

ORDINANCE WOULD DELAY DEMOLITIONS ; PRESERVATION CONFLICTS A CONCERN; [2 WEST CENTRAL Edition]
WILLIAM SCHUBERT, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Jul 3, 2002. pg. B.3
Author(s): WILLIAM SCHUBERT, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Jul 3, 2002. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 131940901
Text Word Count 440
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=131940901&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Abstract (Document Summary)
The proposed ordinance change, spearheaded by Councilwoman Ellen Zoppo, allows time for evaluation and public discussion before a demolition. It would require anyone wishing to level a building to notify subscribers on a mailing list if the building is 500 square feet or more, is in a designated historical district, or appears either on the city's Historical Resource Inventory, which is a list of structures 50 or more years old, or on the National Historic Register.

"This ordinance will prevent the immediate demolition of structures that have potential historical significance or potential re-use and, instead, create a process that allows for community input and dialogue," Zoppo said.

Full Text (440 words)
(Copyright The Hartford Courant 2002)
The city council's ordinance committee took steps Tuesday toward improving communication when possibly historic buildings are to be demolished.

The committee's proposal is designed to end a string of conflicts between preservationists and those interested in improving lots by leveling old buildings.

The former Mark Lewis House on 164 Jerome Ave., which dated back to the 1700s, was one subject of contention. The Bristol Housing Authority last summer eventually demolished the building to make room for a new administrative building.

The Elks Club on South Street was nearly sold last year to Brooks Pharmacy. A portion of the club was the home of Chauncey Jerome, a noted clockmaker in the 1800s. A modified Federal-style residence at 308 Main St., which had been converted into a dental office, could also be razed soon as part of library expansion.

The proposed ordinance change, spearheaded by Councilwoman Ellen Zoppo, allows time for evaluation and public discussion before a demolition. It would require anyone wishing to level a building to notify subscribers on a mailing list if the building is 500 square feet or more, is in a designated historical district, or appears either on the city's Historical Resource Inventory, which is a list of structures 50 or more years old, or on the National Historic Register.

A written objection to the issuance of a demolition permit within 15 days of a legal notice would postpone issuance of the permit for 60 days.

"This ordinance will prevent the immediate demolition of structures that have potential historical significance or potential re-use and, instead, create a process that allows for community input and dialogue," Zoppo said.

The ordinance also makes the applicant responsible for an $80 sign announcing the demolition of the building.

The Bristol Historical Society, the American Clock and Watch Museum and the Federal Hill Neighborhood Association have requested to be on the new demolition mailing list.

Stephen Larson, a local resident who owns a Farmington Avenue home that appears on the city's Historical Resource Inventory, told council members he was concerned that he might be prevented from leveling the building.

He said the four-room house has little historical integrity because so many cosmetic changes have been made over the years. The city had come to the same conclusion about 308 Main St.

"It's right in the middle of a commercial area," Larson said. "The family has owned it since 1922 and it ended up on the register. We have no immediate plans for removal, but wanted to make sure we wouldn't be on some kind of restriction from removing it."

The city council will consider approving the ordinance at its meeting on Tuesday.

Front PageHouses’ fate uncertain in library plans By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press01/07/2003
Bristol-- Some issues involving the $10 million expansion of the Main Library remain unresolved.
     Though architects are polishing off final plans for the new addition, aimed at providing more space for the cramped High Street library, city officials are trying to figure out what to do about two buildings next door.
The two buildings -- at 300 Main St. and 308 Main St. -- may be razed to make way for a bigger, better parking area for the library.
     But it’s also possible that both of buildings will still be standing when the project is finished in a couple of years.
     The city only owns one of the buildings, at 308 Main St., but is negotiating with Community Mental Health Associates to purchase the other one, which is next door to the library.
     But the city-owned building has caught the attention of the Connecticut Historical Commission, which is questioning plans to knock it down.
     The 308 Main St. property includes a portion of a historic house, built in the first half of the 1800s, as well as later additions.
     Library Director Francine Petosa said that architect Peter Wells, who’s working on the library expansion, is preparing several options for officials and the historic commission to consider in connection to the old house.
     She said Wells is making plans that consider several options for the property, including knocking down the house, moving it or leaving it in place.
     Petosa said she’s not sure how the city could use the building since it’s not handicapped accessible and little of the historic house remains intact.
     City Councilor Ellen Zoppo said she’s not sure why the house is being considered as part of the project since it is city property not necessarily tied into the library project.
     She said the building committee will consider options for the property as well.
     Mayor Frank Nicastro said he is negotiating with the owners of the 308 Main St. property in hopes of reaching a deal that would allow more parking and space for the library.
     Petosa said that the mental health office has finished an appraisal citing the value of the site. The city also has an appraisal in hand.
     Though officials aren’t talking about the potential price tag, one said on background that the figures are close enough to make it possible to reach a deal.
     The city’s real estate committee is set to take up the 308 Main St. issue when it meets today at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
©The Bristol Press 2005

CITY OFFICIALS SEEK SOMEONE TO MOVE HISTORIC DISTRICT HOUSE; [2 WEST CENTRAL Edition]
LORETTA WALDMAN, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Mar 27, 2003. pg. B.3
Author(s): LORETTA WALDMAN, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Mar 27, 2003. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 318824181
Text Word Count 369
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=318824181&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Abstract (Document Summary)
To free up a $500,000 construction grant from the Connecticut State Library, officials must first prove they have looked for "feasible and prudent" alternatives to demolishing the building, one of 264 structures considered part of the Federal Hill Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

To head off opposition from preservationists, city officials hired Hartford-based architectural historian David Ransom last January to survey the building. Ransom's report indicated that, while contributing to the historic district, the house had been altered so much it lacked the integrity to be listed independently on the national register.

Full Text (369 words)
(Copyright The Hartford Courant 2003)
City officials are seeking someone willing to move a historic, but much altered, home.

To comply with Connecticut Historical Commission regulations, the city this week sent out a request for proposals to nine restoration companies in hopes that one of them will agree to relocate all or part of the Federal-style house at 308 Main St.

Built in 1820, the house stands on a parcel slated to become a parking lot once the planned $10 million expansion of Bristol Public Library is complete.

To free up a $500,000 construction grant from the Connecticut State Library, officials must first prove they have looked for "feasible and prudent" alternatives to demolishing the building, one of 264 structures considered part of the Federal Hill Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"Hopefully we'll have someone come along and say `Yes, I will move this up the street'," Roger Rousseau, the city's purchasing agent, told the committee overseeing the expansion of the library Wednesday. "Short of that, we hope to have a company move it to an as yet undetermined location."

A large sign seeking bids went up in front of the house Monday. The city purchased the property about three years ago, with the idea of using it for parking once the building was torn down.

To head off opposition from preservationists, city officials hired Hartford-based architectural historian David Ransom last January to survey the building. Ransom's report indicated that, while contributing to the historic district, the house had been altered so much it lacked the integrity to be listed independently on the national register.

But before releasing the grant, historical commission officials want to make sure the demolition meets standards for the treatment of historic property established by state and federal law. As part of that process, city officials must complete a "Destruction Assessment for Historic Properties" and present the assessment to the commission .

"We need to prove that all available alternatives have been taken," said Councilwoman Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, a member of the building committee.

Bidders have two options: Buy the house and move it to a location of their choosing or move it on behalf of the city to a site of the city's choosing.

Front PageCity attempting to save house By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press04/08/2003
     BRISTOL -- With a strong shove from state preservation experts, the city is making a last-ditch effort to find someone willing to save the 180-year-old Federal-period house at 308 Main St. that’s targeted for demolition as part of the library expansion project.
     City councilors said they’d like to see the building dismantled or moved.
     Proposals for relocating the building are due at City Hall on Wednesday. At least some people have expressed enough interest to look into the possibility, officials said.
     The city-owned building, which had a medical office tacked on the front of it half a century ago, still has its original elaborate fireplace and mantel, stairs and a delicately carved railing, oak floorboards and many of its original beams and rafters.
     The city plans to knock down the building as part of the $10 million library expansion project slated to get underway next winter. The area would become part of a new parking lot section.
     David Ransom, an architectural historian from Hartford, said last year that restoring the house would require an enormous expense, but could be done.
     Roger Rousseau, the city’s purchasing agent, said that some contractors are looking to see what’s movable in the building and what’s not.
     The fireplace "has drawn the most interest" from those who have looked at the old house, he said.
     The city may incorporate some of the historic elements of the house into the library expansion, officials said, if it turns out the building can’t be saved.
     The Connecticut Historical Commission told the city it had to make an effort to save the building, which is part of the Federal Hill Historic District and the last remaining original Main Street house.
     The city told those who are interested in the building that they must present a plan by Wednesday to relocate the house or its historical components to property owned by the city, "or to a suitable location within the historic district owned by a private concern."
     The proposal needs to include a detailed description of the precautions that would be taken to move the building and how the historic elements would be salvaged if the building is damaged in transit.
     Any action related to the house may need the state historical commission’s blessing.
     Rousseau said the city, which bought the house several years ago, contacted eight contractors the state suggested because they have experience with this type of move.
     Once the proposals are received, the city’s real estate committee and library building committee will weed through them to determine if anyone submitted a reasonable plan.
     There has been talk of swapping the 308 Main St. building with the Community Mental Health Affiliates office building next door at the 300 Main St. The mental health office sits between the parking lot and the library. It has long been sought by library officials to make the project easier.
     Mayor Frank Nicastro has been negotiating with the mental health office in an attempt to work out a deal that would let the city take possession of the 300 Main St. property. But so far there has been no deal reached, though officials remain optimistic.
©The Bristol Press 2005

Front PageThis old house may have life left By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press04/28/2003
     BRISTOL -- The oldest dwelling on Main Street -- a 180-year-old Federal-style house owned by the city -- may not get torn down after all.
     At least survive a $10 million library expansion project that calls for its removal.
      One possibility is that the house could be placed on a different Federal Hill site, perhaps on a city-owned plot across the street. Officials are studying two plans to move the building.
      "It’s not a difficult move. There’s no excuse not to do it," said Kenneth Karl, a Plymouth builder who made one of the offers.
      Another option would allow the house to remain where it is if municipal leaders are able to cut a deal to buy the Community Mental Health Associates building at 300 Main St. soon.
       In either case, several additions that chopped up the house to create a network of medical offices would be razed, leaving the remnants of the original house as a starting point for its restoration.
      The city bought the old house several years ago for about $300,000 with the intention of knocking it down to make way for additional parking for the main library on High Street. The library’s expansion project includes plans for parking on the lot where the house stands. The building been empty since the last tenant moved out more than a year ago.
  two scenarios on the table would allow the much-modified 308 Main St. house to    The house still has its original fireplace and mantel, stairs and a delicately carved railing, oak flooring and most of its beams and rafters are intact. An architectural historian from Hartford, David Ransom, has said that "a reasonable restoration" is possible, though it could be costly.
"I don’t think it’s a very expensive thing," Karl said, adding that it would be cheaper to move it than to try to restore the house where it is.
     Plans to knock down the house were put on hold after the Connecticut Historical Commission told the city it had to make an effort to save it. The house is part of the Federal Hill Historic District and the last remaining original Main Street house.
     Karl said he hopes city leaders "have a vision of Bristol that includes things like this" old house. "Not everything has to be torn down."
      City officials are trying to speed along the decision about what to do with the old house, probably built by a clockmaker about 1820, because the library project calls for dealing with it early on. The city hopes to secure construction bids for the library addition in September and for work to begin by late fall.
      Board of Finance member Chris Ziogas said that negotiations with the mental health office owners are ongoing and it may well be worth holding things up if more time would allow both sides to cut a deal.
      If the city buys the mental health office, which is between the library and the historic house, it would tear down the building and put its parking lot closer to the library.
      Peter Wells, the library architect, said it is "not a big deal" to reconfigure the parking lot if changes are needed.
     But Francine Petosa, the library director, said the parking lot has to be available before construction starts so staff members and patrons will have somewhere to park.
      "You don’t want to give up the better option just because you’re pressed for time," Ziogas said. If it adds an extra six months to the timeline, he said, that’s fine.
      Another potential hitch is that one of the two proposals to move the house, submitted by Karl, would move it to another city-owned lot at 321 Main St., perhaps 100 yards away.
       "It would get the building off the property" needed for the library project, said city Purchasing Agent Roger Rousseau, but it would move onto the site eyed as a staging area for the construction crews working on the library.
     Karl’s plan would have him buy the old house and the empty lot at 321 Main St. for $1. He would move it, restore it and use the building as a home for small, nonprofit agencies. Karl also wants $25,000 from the Bristol Development Authority to help pay demolition costs he would incur.
     The other proposal for moving it was submitted by Chestnut Oak Co. of West Suffield. It wants $153,000 to prepare the building for the move and build a foundation. It is not looking to take over 321 Main St., but it is unclear where the company intends to put the house.
     The company has been erecting, dismantling, moving and repairing new and old houses and barns throughout North America since 1987, according to its Web site.
     Ziogas said that in evaluating the two plans for moving the house, one problem is that officials don’t know what 321 Main St. is worth. Several officials pointed out it is a large lot that backs up to another city-owned lot on Summer Street.
     City Councilor Ellen Zoppo said she thinks the old house would take up so little space on 321 Main St.’s large lot that it could be moved there and not interfere with construction staging needs.
     Karl said the house would take up less than 10 percent of the large lot and he’s sure it would not interfere with any library needs.
     He said that if he gets a go-ahead, it is "just an easy move across the street" and the house can fill in an empty lot and spruce up the streetscape.
     Karl said he would like to renovate it for use by "a community nonprofit" organization. He’s looking for groups that might be interested in the space.
     The state Historical Commission has taken an interest in the house’s fate because it is part of a national historic district and the library is using $500,000 of state funds to help with its expansion.
     Because state money is involved, the city must show that it exhausted all reasonable alternatives before knocking down the house. Given the interest by two developers, as well as the possibility of buying 300 Main St., it may be difficult for the city at this point to raze the old house because alternatives clearly exist.
     The city’s Real Estate Committee will consider the issue May 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room on the first floor of City Hall.
     The library’s Building Committee last week urged councilors who serve on the real estate panel to make a swift decision so the library project is not delayed unnecessarily.
©The Bristol Press 2005

Front PageNext move to save house up to city By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press05/12/2003
BRISTOL -- Over the last 180-odd years, a lot of people have moved out of the Federal-style house at 308 Main St., but now it’s beginning to look as if it’s time for the house itself to move.
     City officials are optimistic that they’ll be able to work out a deal with Kenneth Karl of Plymouth to pick up the historic house and haul it across Main Street in time to allow a $10 million library expansion project to get under way on schedule.
       Two veteran city councilors -- Democrats Gerard Couture and Joe Wilson -- said recently they want to preserve the house, which is likely the oldest on Main Street.
     "We all want to save that building," Couture said.
     The city acquired the house several years ago for about $300,000 and planned to knock it down to allow for additional library parking. With the library addition project slated to start in earnest by next spring, the need for the parking is growing.
     Karl said that he doesn’t see any problem moving the house in time to let work on the parking lot proceed as long as the city approves the deal.
     "It sounds like our timetable is plenty long," Karl said.
     The original fireplace and mantel, stairs and a delicately cared railing, oak flooring and most of its beams and rafters of the old house remain intact. But later additions have marred its outward appearance badly.
     Karl said, though, that he doubts the additions actually did all that much damage to the house itself.
     "They may not have touched that building structurally at all," he said.
      The additions, Karl said, "are slap-up things" that builders probably just shoved up against the old building, using openings already in place for windows and doors to the degree possible.
     He said that 90 percent or more of the original house is likely still there.
     Karl has offered to buy the old house and the empty lot at 321 Main St. for $1. He would move the house from the east side of Main Street to the city-owned lot across the street.
     After restoring it as much as he reasonably can, he said, he wants to use it as a home for small, nonprofit agencies.
      The city’s real estate committee asked City Planner Alan Weiner to take a look at Karl’s plan and figure out if putting the house on the 321 Main St. lot would interfere with using the vacant land as a staging area for the library construction project.
      Karl said he would prefer to move it directly onto a new foundation at 321 Main St., but could put it on blocks there for years without harming the house. It would require moving it again, however.
     Wilson said he likes the concept that Karl is asking to do.
     He said that the city should make room for threatened buildings to be moved onto land where they can be preserved for future generations. He said that a number of buildings could eventually be put on the same property to form a small historic area.
     The state historical commission is keeping an eye on how the city treats 308 Main St.
     The city can’t knock down the 308 Main St. house unless it can prove that is has no reasonable alternatives.
     With Karl’s offer on the table, officials said, they probably could not successfully argue that they should be allowed to demolish the house.
      "It’s not a difficult move. There’s no excuse not to do it," Karl said.
©The Bristol Press 2005
Reader Opinions:
Robert Hodgdon May, 12 2003
This is just another example of how the city wastes our money. I say demolish the old fire trap and be done with it.

Front PageOfficials discuss relocating house By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press06/17/2003
     BRISTOL -- Plans are still moving forward to let a private developer haul the Federal-style house at 308 Main St. across the road so the $10 million library expansion can proceed without requiring destruction of the 180-year-old house.
     City Councilor Joe Wilson said he’s inclined to let the developer move the old house to the city-owned lot at 313 Main St.
     Officials said they want the developer, Kenneth Karl of Plymouth, to come up with a site plan that would show how the house would be situated and how the driveway and parking could be configured on the site proposed by Wilson.
     Wilson said it may be possible to allow a shared driveway between the lot eyed for the house and another city-owned lot next door at 321 Main St. Such an arrangement may be necessary because of the narrowness of the 313 Main St. site.
     Karl said he’s game to give it a try. He added he’s sure he can pull off the project once he gets a green light from the city.
     City Planner Alan Weiner said trying to put the house, driveway and parking solely on the 313 Main St. lot may prove too tough because of land-use rules that require buildings and driveways to be set back a certain distance from property lines.
     If Karl were to use the house as a residence, Weiner said, the lot would likely work out. However, offices require parking spaces and a more solid driveway.
     For office space, the lot is so narrow it "almost makes it infeasible," Weiner said.
     Wilson said that by sharing a driveway, the two city-owned lots could benefit when both are eventually developed.
     For the time being, the 321 Main St. lot is designated as a staging area for equipment needed during the library expansion project.
     Officials haven’t said what, if anything, would be done with the 321 Main St. lot once the library is finished in a couple of years.
     An assistant city attorney, Jeffrey Steeg, said Karl needs to give a clearer indication of what he plans to use the house for once it’s moved.
     "I’m working as hard as I can" to answer that question, Karl said, but at this point it’s hard to say. "It’s really, really a bad time for us to seek tenants."
     He said he could just move the house and sell it as a residence.
     The city bought the 308 Main St. property several years ago for about $300,000 and planned to knock down the house to allow for additional library parking.
     Karl has offered to buy the old house for $1 and move it across the street.
©The Bristol Press 2005

Front Page House may move to make way for Main Street library growth By SARA JANE LEIDE, The Bristol Press08/14/2003
     BRISTOL -- To pave the way for phase 1 of the multimillion-dollar library expansion project, city leaders are moving ahead with the plan to move the Federal-style house at 308 Main St.
     City Councilor Joe Wilson reported Tuesday night that the Real Estate Committee has accepted the concept for moving the house.
     Kenneth Karl, a developer and Plymouth resident, proposed a plan to move the house to an empty city-owned lot at 313 Main St. Karl has proposed purchasing the lot and building for $1.
     "We should be able to save the homestead," Wilson said.
     The next step is for the proposal to be reviewed by the Planning Commission, Wilson said. Karl is working with City Planner Alan Weiner in order to review the plans. The planning department would also like to view the results of a feasibility study, Wilson said.
     "You just have to sit there and work through these things," he said, and added that "when you have interested and capable people," it’s just a matter of time before you can work something out.
     Wilson said that Karl has said he would turn the house over to a nonprofit organization for $1.
     Before the library expansion plan can proceed, the lot at 308 Main St. has to be cleared. The library purchased the site for $300,000, with plans to use the lot for additional parking.
     Karl hopes to be able to use grant funds available for historical preservation to move the house, which, stripped of all additions, is actually quite small, Wilson said. Before it is moved, the house must be stripped down and the added "nonhistorical" sections demolished.
     The actual moving process shouldn’t take too long, and Wilson said the move would not interfere with the plan to use the lot at 321 Main St. as a staging area.
     The move may actually save the city some money in demolition costs.
      "It’s a win-win-win situation," Wilson said.
©The Bristol Press 2005

CLUB SEEKS HOUSE FOR MUSEUM OF FIDDLING; [2 WEST CENTRAL Edition]
KEN BYRON, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Aug 20, 2003. pg. B.3

People: Lagace, Gerald, Karl, Kenneth
Author(s): KEN BYRON, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Aug 20, 2003. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 386636321
Text Word Count 513
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=386636321&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD
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Abstract (Document Summary)
Kenneth Karl of Plymouth has proposed moving the house, and he and [Gerald Lagace] have been talking about the museum plan for more than a month. Karl said he has visited area museums recently to get ideas.

Lagace said the collection would showcase the elaborate craftsmanship that can go into making fiddles and the history of fiddling.

"A museum is for showing off things, and our club is about preserving and promoting old time fiddling," Lagace said. "It's hard to do all that in someone's house, but if we got a building we could show off our stuff."

Full Text (513 words)
(Copyright The Hartford Courant 2003)
One issue officials have grappled with as they consider relocating a city-owned historic house to expand the local library is what to do with the building once it is moved.

The answer may be a fiddling museum.

Gerald Lagace, president and founder of the city-based Connecticut's Bristol Old Tyme Fiddler's Club, said he would like his group to take over the house and turn it into a museum.

Kenneth Karl of Plymouth has proposed moving the house, and he and Lagace have been talking about the museum plan for more than a month. Karl said he has visited area museums recently to get ideas.

"We looked into setting up a museum a few years ago, but we didn't have enough money, but now I think we can swing it," Lagace said.

If the idea is realized, the museum would also function as home base for the 30-year old club, which operates out of members' homes and performs about 150 times a year throughout Connecticut.

Lagace said the collection would showcase the elaborate craftsmanship that can go into making fiddles and the history of fiddling.

"A museum is for showing off things, and our club is about preserving and promoting old time fiddling," Lagace said. "It's hard to do all that in someone's house, but if we got a building we could show off our stuff."

The house in question is at 308 Main St., behind the public library. The city needs to demolish or move it to make way for the expansion. The city is supposed to receive a grant from the state historical commission, but must show it is making a good-faith effort to preserve the house before the money is released. Consequently, city officials hope someone is willing to move the house.

The original part of the house was constructed in the 1820s. Additions would be torn down and the house moved to a vacant, nearby city-owned parcel.

The city is reviewing Karl's proposal, and important elements of the plan, such as who would own the house, have not been determined.

At a recent meeting of the city council's real estate committee, city officials said they were happy that the fiddling club was involved with the project. The project will likely be taken up again when the real estate committee meets early next month.

Karl said he is happy to work with the fiddling club because his goal for the house was to turn it into a home for a nonprofit organization.

"The problem since the beginning has been to have a good use for the house once it is moved," Karl said. "This is a win-win. I was looking for an active, nonprofit to use the place, and the fiddling club needed a space for a museum."

The house would likely be donated to the fiddling club, but the club would be expected to maintain it.

Lagace said the 30 fiddles he owns, along with other memorabilia, would form the core of the museum's collection. Recordings of the shows the group has performed would also be stored there, he said.

Front Page‘Urgent’ plans needed to save house: Officials By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press09/03/2003
     BRISTOL -- Time is running short for plans to move a historic house across Main Street, but officials still hope to help a developer pull it off.
"There are a lot of issues that need to be ironed out," said City Engineer Paul Strawderman.
     The 308 Main St. house has to be moved or razed, city leaders said, in order to let the $10 million library expansion move forward next spring.
     A Plymouth developer, Ken-neth Karl, has proposed moving it onto city-owned land on the west side of Main Street and using it for nonprofit offices or perhaps a museum. The Old-Tyme Fiddlers are eyeing the place as a possible site for a museum.
     "We hope it works. We’re willing to give it a try," said Gerald Lagace, the group’s president.
     What’s holding back the project is the difficulty of getting all the necessary municipal approvals, from planning to purchasing, fast enough to let Karl haul the 170-year-old house a couple of hundred yards.
     City councilors said Karl needs to sit down immediately with City Planner Alan Weiner and find out what he needs to do to satisfy land-use regulations.
     "It’s very urgent now," said Councilor Joe Wilson, chairman of the Real Estate Committee. "If you don’t do it, you’re going to miss out. We’re going to lose it."
      Karl has lined up a group that trains young construction workers, YouthBuild Hartford, to knock down a useless addition that was tacked onto the historic house decades ago. It’s apparently willing to do the job for about $19,000.
     But the city had some bad news for Karl. Bristol-based Eagle Environmental determined it could cost $42,000 to take the asbestos, lead paint and other hazards out of the old house before it could be moved or knocked down.
    A city attorney, Jeff Steeg, said he’s worried about working out all the legal details as well.
     He said, for instance, he’s not sure "what happens if the house gets destroyed" halfway across Main Street. If that happened, Steeg asked, would Karl still get to have the city land where officials intend to put the house on the other side of the street?
     Karl said that’s a risk he’d take on as part of the project.
     Councilor Ellen Zoppo said the city’s goal is to save the house, but it could probably win a waiver from state historical experts that would allow its destruction if things get too drawn out.
     "We need to make a very serious effort to save this house," she said.
©The Bristol Press 2005

CITY TO WEIGH PLAN TO RELOCATE HOUSE; [2 WEST CENTRAL Edition]
KEN BYRON, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Oct 11, 2003. pg. B.3

People: Karl, Kenneth
Author(s): KEN BYRON, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTthe house's OL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Oct 11, 2003. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 423160341
Text Word Count 447 proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=423160341&Fmt=3
Document URL: http://&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

You can view the entire article online at the Hartford Courant's website, or in the October 11, 2003 edition of the Hartford Courant

HISTORIC HOME MAY STAY WHERE IT IS ; LIBRARY EXPANSION PLAN INVOLVED ITS REMOVAL; [2 WEST CENTRAL Edition]
KEN BYRON, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Dec 6, 2003. pg. B.3

People: Karl, Kenneth
Author(s): KEN BYRON, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Dec 6, 2003. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 484931181
Text Word Count 329
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=484931181&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

You can view the entire article online at the Hartford Courant's website, or see the December 6, 2003 edition of the Hartford Courant

COUNCIL OKS DEAL TO MOVE HOUSE; [2 WEST CENTRAL Edition]
KEN BYRON, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Feb 11, 2004. pg. B.3

People: Karl, Ken, Zoppo, Ellen
Author(s): KEN BYRON, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Feb 11, 2004. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 543663301
Text Word Count 391
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=543663301&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Abstract (Document Summary)
If [Ken Karl] cannot meet the terms of the agreement, the city will move to demolish the house, [Ellen Zoppo] said. She said the city already has submitted to the state preliminary paperwork pursuing demolition.

Karl, who has a background in historic preservation, could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening. He previously has said he wants to use the house as space for offices or nonprofit groups. One idea he suggested to city officials was working with the city-based Connecticut's Bristol Old Tyme Fiddlers Club to create a fiddling museum.

Full Text (391 words)
(Copyright The Hartford Courant 2004)
The city council Tuesday approved a deal in which the city will give a developer a historic house on Main Street with the condition that he move it to allow an expansion of the Bristol Public Library.

The deal with Ken Karl, of Plymouth, has been in the works since last spring. He is expected to move the house at 308 Main St. to a city-owned lot across the street. He then would lease that land and own the house, but he must bear the entire cost of moving it. Council member Ellen Zoppo said the city will push for the move to occur in May.

City officials have wanted to demolish or move the house and use the empty land to expand the library. Work on the library is expected to start this year.

The city has had to look at alternatives to demolishing the property because the house, built in the 1820s, is historic. The state is withholding a $500,000 grant for the library project until the city moves the house or shows that is not feasible.

If Karl cannot meet the terms of the agreement, the city will move to demolish the house, Zoppo said. She said the city already has submitted to the state preliminary paperwork pursuing demolition.

"We want to comply with what the state wants, but if this doesn't work then we need to move ahead with something else," Zoppo said. "This is a generous and fluid agreement, but now it's up to Ken Karl."

Karl, who has a background in historic preservation, could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening. He previously has said he wants to use the house as space for offices or nonprofit groups. One idea he suggested to city officials was working with the city-based Connecticut's Bristol Old Tyme Fiddlers Club to create a fiddling museum.

In recent years, a number of modern additions have been built onto the original house. The agreement calls for those additions to be torn down so that only the original house is moved.

In other business, the council approved a four-year contract with the firefighters' union that runs from July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2007. The agreement calls for a 2.75 percent pay raise in the first year, 2.50 percent in the second and third years, and 2.75 percent in the last year.

Front PageClock ticking for old house By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press02/25/2004
     BRISTOL -- Time is running out for the oldest house on Main Street.
     City officials say that unless a plan to move the 180-year-old, Federal-style house gets off the drawing board within a few months, it may be too late to save the historic house at 308 Main St.
     City councilors said they hope a plan by Ken Karl of Plymouth to move the house to city-owned land on the west side of Main Street will come off before a May deadline to complete the work.
      "It should be not the hardest thing in the world to do. We should have it done," Karl said. "The schedules don’t seem that hard at all."
     If it doesn’t work out, some officials said, the city is going to tear down the building as part of an $11 million library expansion project that’s slated to get under way by June. The site of the house would become the far corner of the library parking lot.
    "We have a definite time frame. We can’t procrastinate with him," Mayor Gerard Couture said Tuesday.
     Karl said he expects to hammer out the final wording at the city’s Real Estate Committee meeting next week.
     "We really have to get going on getting some of the permits and the site plans and some of the things like that," Karl said.
      "He better have a plan," Couture said. "We can’t fool around with it."
     The house still has its original fireplace and mantel, stairs and a delicately carved railing, oak flooring and most of its beams and rafters intact. An architectural historian from Hartford, David Ransom, has said "a reasonable restoration" is possible, though it could be costly.
     Karl has proposed ripping off later additions and moving the original house across Main Street, where it could house nonprofit organization offices or possibly even a museum.
     He said he would move the house onto a foundation across the street and then figure out how best to use it.
     Jeff Steeg, an assistant city attorney, said the goal now is to reach a contract with Karl by early March that lays out the terms of the deal and sets a firm timetable for its completion.
     "This is sort of bringing this to a head," Steeg said.
     Karl said insurance questions are probably the toughest issue remaining.
     If the deal falls through or Karl fails to meet the timeline, some city leaders are ready to knock down the 308 Main St. house.
     Couture said the city has to show it "made every effort humanly possible to have that building moved," but if in the end it isn’t gone in time, razing it is the only option.
     The library’s building committee has long expressed its determination to see the house removed, one way or another, before construction starts in late spring.
     It pushed for language in the deal with Karl to have the building knocked down if Karl misses the May deadline.
     But there’s at least one official who’s not ready to give up the building automatically if the deadline is missed.
     City Councilor Craig Minor successfully lobbied in committee to strip out language from the contract proposal that said the building would be demolished if Karl fails to pull off the move. Minor said the councilors can decide later what to do if the house remains where it is.
     "I don’t want it to sound like the decision is now made," Minor said.
     But there is no indication that Minor will have any support for preserving the house if Karl can’t move it in time.
     The State Historical Commission is wary of the city’s bid to raze the 308 Main St. home of an early clockmaker. It has struggled to get the city to consider alternatives.
     Councilor Ellen Zoppo said she is working to document the city’s efforts to save the house in case Karl can’t move it in time. Unless it wants to risk losing $500,000 in state aid, the city would need to show the state that it has no choice before it can knock down the house.
     "We want to comply with what the state wants, but if this doesn’t work then we need to move ahead with something else," Zoppo said.
     "We need to continue to work ahead," she said, to get the library project under way.
©The Bristol Press 2005
Reader Opinions:
Frank Croce Feb, 25 2004
I can't believe that the City of Bristol and Mr Couture are so eager to demolish something that has been around for 180 years. And just for the sake of a Stupid parking lot of all things!! And I'm SURE that this 11 million dollar library (sounds a bit over priced) and it's oh so precious Parking Lot will be completed by the homes removal due date of May, nor do I believe that this home would be in the way of the project begining. I think the City of Bristol and Mr Couture need to sit back and realize what they have..and that my friends is a piece of history, and only to be replaced by some Cold Sterile Characterless bldg. You can't replace or duplicate that kind of workmanship!! Stop looking at dollar signs and start looking at History!!!

Front PageEfforts to save house continue By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press03/05/2004
     BRISTOL -- Saving the oldest house on Main Street may come down to whether the city would rather use $25,000 to knock it down or instead use the money to help a developer move it.
     City Councilor Craig Minor said he’s confident details can be worked out in time to allow a Plymouth developer to move the 184-year-old house across Main Street onto a city-owned lot where it could remain.
     "This is not a very difficult project," said developer Ken Karl.
     He said as long as the city takes care of environmental hazards within the building quickly, he’ll have no trouble hauling it to the west side of Main Street, out of the way of a library expansion project slated to start in June.
     Karl said he wants the city to give him the $25,000 or so it must have in the library project budget to demolish the house to help cover the expenses involved in moving it. He said if he doesn’t move the building, the city is going to find the money to raze it.
     "I’m just asking for what’s budgeted," Karl said.
     City Councilor Ellen Zoppo said the budget for the library project includes cash to knock down the Community Mental Health Associates building the city recently bought and 308 Main St., if necessary. But the two projects are lumped together in the spending plan, she said, and there isn’t really anything specific to tap should the city need to demolish the Federal-style house.
     "There’s not another dime" to give Karl, she said.
     It’s not clear whether the State Historical Commission would allow the building’s destruction if the city said it had to knock it down because it couldn’t come up with $25,000 more.
     A final decision is slated by Monday, officials said, when the Real Estate Committee plans a special meeting to address the situation.
     "The big concern is time," said Jeff Steeg, an assistant city attorney. "We’re under the gun to get this done."
     Those involved in the library building project say they have to remove the old house before May so they can use the area where it sits for parking during the library project. There’s no option that would allow it to remain where it is, they said.
     Zoppo said the city has already filed for a demolition permit for 308 Main St. in case Karl can’t move it in time.
     A proposed contract between the city and Karl calls for him to move the building by May 1. If he fails, the building would be razed instead.
     Karl said most of the terms are fine, but he is concerned the proposed deal sets a deadline for him to move the house but doesn’t require the city to finish environmental remediation quickly. He said he’s stymied until the city finishes the $43,000 cleanup of the building.
     Zoppo said the cleanup could be done as soon as next week.
     The proposed deal called for Karl to install the house on a permanent foundation by May as well, but Zoppo said that’s not necessary. She said as long as City Planner Alan Weiner is satisfied with what Karl plans, the requirement isn’t needed.
     Karl said he plans to store the building temporarily until a foundation is prepared and a final plan made for the house. It will likely house nonprofit organizations or perhaps a museum.
     "Nobody wants a white elephant," Karl said, so he’s busy working out the building’s fate.
     The old house, hidden behind modern additions that would be removed, still has its original fireplace and mantel, stairs and a delicately carved railing and oak flooring. Most of its beams and rafters are intact.
     The State Historical Commission is wary about plans to knock down the early clockmaker’s house. Its approval of the plan is needed to release $500,000 in state aid for the library project.
©The Bristol Press 2005
Reader Opinions:
Connie Jorgensen Mar, 05 2004
As a former resident of Bristol, I have seen many changes to what once was a beautiful family oriented town. I feel that the city should take a look at what they did by knocking down a lot of beautiful buildings in the downtown area. The transformation over the years has not always been good. Bristol at one time had a lot of history. Today it is hard to reconize the town. It's sad for me each time I come back to my home town and see the way it was destroyed. Bristol was a beautiful town at one time. Now it is any town USA. Have pride in your city and keep the history alive.

PROBLEM OF FUNDS BLOCKS HOUSE MOVE; [2 WEST CENTRAL Edition]
KEN BYRON, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Mar 5, 2004. pg. B.3

People: Karl, Kenneth
Author(s): KEN BYRON, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Mar 5, 2004. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 572127111
Text Word Count 444
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=572127111&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

You can view the entire article on the Hartford Courant's Website, or see the March 5, 2004 edition of the Hartford Courant

Front PageCity to help fund house move By STEVE COLLINS and JACKIE MAJERUS, The Bristol Press03/11/2004
     BRISTOL -- If everything goes according to plan, there's going to be quite a spectacle on Main Street sometime this spring.
     The historic house at 308 Main St. is going to be picked up and hauled from the east side of the road, where it?s been for more than 180 years, to a vacant lot on the west side.
     The slow-motion move "should be very easy," said Plymouth developer Ken Karl, who has until May 1 to complete the operation.
     City leaders and Karl approved a deal Tuesday to give Karl an extra $25,000 to help pay for the project. The house will be placed on a city-owned lot, where it will be put on a new foundation this summer.
     "Everything sounds very good," Karl said.
     Reaching a deal "was hard. He was a tough negotiator," city Councilor Craig Minor said.
     Concerned about moving the house, Mayor Gerard Couture voted against the deal. He was the only opponent among the City Council.
      Karl said he anticipates the house, once successfully moved, once will provide a home for the Bristol Old Tyme Fiddlers Club, which is looking to create a small museum.
     As long as the house is used for a private home or for a nonprofit entity such as a museum, the city has given its blessing. Karl can?t sell to a commercial enterprise, however, or the city can reclaim the house and property by paying fair market value.
      Karl said he's "ready to go" as soon as a firm hired by the city completes the task of cleaning out asbestos, lead paint and other hazards from the building.
     Karl is paying the city $1 for the house and property at 313 Main St. on which to put it.
     Karl is paying to demolish modern additions to the house, move it across the street, insure it and obtain required land-use permits.
     A possible stumbling block was removed when the city agreed to toss in an extra $25,000 to help cover demolition costs. Karl said the city would have to spend the money anyway if he doesn?t move the house.
     The city plans to knock down the entire building if Karl can?t move it out of the way of an $11 million library addition project that begins in June.
      Library officials have said they need the space where the house is located for parking once the project gets started. It would remain as a parking area after the addition is completed.
     The State Historical Commission pushed for the city to find a way to save the house. It will need to give its blessing to Karl?s plan as well.
     Once the state approves the fate of the house, the city can collect a $500,000 grant to help pay for the library project.
     If Karl fails to move the house in time, the city will not give him the deed and is likely to demolish the down.
©The Bristol Press 2005

Front PageCouncil agrees to $8.5 million library contract By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press06/11/2004
     BRISTOL -- The city’s $12 million library expansion project is set to get under way soon.
     City councilors unanimously agreed this week to an $8.5 million contract with W.J. Mountford Co. of South Windsor for the bulk of the construction work, which will take a couple of years to finish.
     The new addition will leave the Main Library almost two-thirds bigger than it is, with more computers, better parking, an easier entrance and a host of improvements.
     The project calls for creation of an addition that would sit atop the existing parking lot, east of the historic library building. The Children’s Library would be demolished once the new addition is complete.
      A new parking lot is slated to go in behind the existing library, with the main entrance shifting to the rear of the historic building, where access will be easier for elderly and handicapped patrons. The old entrance facing High Street would also remain.
     The first step will be the demolition of the former Community Mental Health Associates next door to the library, which the city purchased this year with the intention of razing it to make a better parking lot for the library.
     Library Director Francine Petosa said removing the mental health offices and the old house at 308 Main St. are at the top of the list. A Plymouth developer is supposed to move the house across Main Street soon.
     Petosa said the start of construction on the addition could come by early fall.
      Mountford was the low bidder among 10 competing firms who sought the contract. Bid prices for construction ranged from $8.5 million to $9.6 million. The only Bristol-based contractor, Carpenter Construction, offered the third-lowest price.
     The rest of the $12 million tab was spent on property purchases to make the project possible or is earmarked for architects, overseers and other project expenses.
     The price tag wound up almost $1 million more than the city had anticipated. Officials blamed soaring steel and energy costs for the rising prices, which have hit construction projects across the globe, not just in Bristol.
     The library expansion has been talked about for years but got a big push when fed-up patrons demanded City Hall allocate more money for its increasingly outdated library.
     The expansion project has been in the works for several years since winning support by library commissioners.
©The Bristol Press 2005

Front PagePlans to move historic house across Main Street on track By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press06/16/2004
     BRISTOL -- Plans to move the oldest house on Main Street to clear the way for the $12 million library expansion remain on track.
     Plymouth developer Ken Karl said he’s aiming to move the historic Federal style home June 24 but warned that delays are possible.
     "We’re trying desperately to do this," Karl said. "It’s a go so far and we’re hoping there are no delays."
     The city agreed this year to sell Karl the 184-year-old house for $1 and to let him move it across the road to 321 Main St., an empty lot about 100 yards away.
     The house, likely built by an early clockmaker, "would actually be rolled across the street," Karl said, and placed on blocks until final plans for it are worked out with city land use regulators.
     He said he hopes it can eventually become a permanent home for the Bristol Old Tyme Fiddlers Club, which is looking to create a small museum.
     Before the house can be moved, the utility companies will need to move wires out of the way so the building can be rolled from the eastern to the western side of Main Street.
     Karl said he has deals worked out with the utilities to get the work done.
     He said the city is slated to begin stripping potentially dangerous material out of the neighboring building at 300 Main St. about June 25. The city intends to knock it down in early July.
     By the time the former mental health offices at 300 Main St. are demolished, officials have said, Karl has to have the old house moved or it will be razed as well.
     Since it may take a couple of weeks to finish the work on 300 Main St. "we have a little tiny bit of leeway" if his expected move date slips slightly.
     He said the city is in "a rush" to get things going and he’s trying to comply.
     The old house was chopped up by several additions during the past half-century that left it a shadow of its former incarnation, but it still has its elaborate fireplace and mantel, original stairs and a delicately carved railing, oak flooring and most of its beams and rafters still in place.
      A city-hired demolition company ripped away most of the additions this spring so the house could be hauled from the spot where it’s rested since about 1820.
     Research by Federal Hill preservationist Cheryl Barb found that many prominent Bristol residents have lived in the house, including 19th century notables Titus Roberts, Elisha Brewster, Joseph Camp, David Hawley and Dr. Roswell Hawley and his widow, Jane Hawley. Roswell Hawley was apparently a son of Joseph Roswell Hawley, a prominent Civil War general and publisher of The Hartford Courant.
     More recently, noted area artist Glo Sessions lived there growing up.
     The city plans to construct a new library parking lot on the site of the former mental health offices and the 308 Main St. location. The $12 million library project will expand the old High Street library and shift its main entrance to the rear of the existing library building for easier access from the new lot.
©The Bristol Press 2005

Front PageThree weeks and counting for Main Street house By STEVE COLLINS, The Bristol Press06/23/2004
     BRISTOL -- If the oldest house on Main Street is going to survive another month, then Plymouth developer Ken Karl has to move it by July 12.
     City leaders told Karl Tuesday that unless he hauls the Federal style house out of the way of the library expansion project by the deadline, they’ll tell a wrecking company to knock it down.
     "We can’t have this project delayed any longer," said Library Director Francine Petosa. "We just need to move it forward."
     Karl has "one last chance to save this house," said Jeffrey Steeg, an assistant city attorney who told councilors that Karl has already broken the terms of his contract by waiting too long to finish the job.
     The city’s Real Estate Committee said Karl must move the house by July 12 or the city has no choice except to knock it down so the $12 million library project can proceed on schedule.
      Councilors also told Karl he must show proof by Friday that utility companies will move the lines out of the way so he can haul the house from 308 Main St. to the opposite side of the road.
     Karl also has to provide documentation he has a house-moving company ready to do the job and paperwork that will persuade the city’s insurance company to provide coverage for it.
     Purchasing Agent Roger Rousseau said the city would be in "an untenable situation" with its insurer if the information isn’t provided.
     He also said that as long as the house is moved by July 12, the library project won’t be crimped.
     If the house isn’t moved, Rousseau said, it will be razed along with the former Community Mental Health Associates building at 300 Main St. on July 14.
     Deputy Mayor Art Ward said it is "getting really ridiculous" that Karl hasn’t accomplished more by now.
     Councilor Craig Minor said if Karl were a typical developer, he would "pull the plug in a heartbeat" rather than offer an extension. But in this case, he said, Karl is seeking to save a historic house and perhaps create an opportunity for a new museum, so he’s willing to give him a break.
     City Councilor Tom Lavigne, a member of the Real Estate Committee, initially said he would not grant an extension to give Karl more time.
     But he went along with letting the developer have until week’s end to make sure "all ducks are in line" to indicate the move is on target.
     Ward said that if Karl doesn’t comply by Friday, "the pond dries up" and Karl’s opportunity vanishes.
     Karl said he has every intention of doing what the city wants.
     He said a Rhode Island company, Eastman Riggers, will haul the 184-year-old house to a city-owned lot at 313 Main St. before his time runs out.
     The effort is "rescuing this house for the city at a bargain basement price," Karl said.
       He said the house will be left on blocks until land-use regulators approve a site plan for the house. Once a plan is given a green light, he said, the house will be put onto a foundation and may become a permanent home for the Bristol Old Tyme Fiddlers Club, which is looking to create a small museum.
     Lavigne said he is skeptical Karl will pull it off. "I have real doubts that you can complete this," Lavigne told the developer. But, he added, "We’re rooting for you. I hope you can do it."
©The Bristol Press 2005

AN ULTIMATUM ON HISTORIC HOUSE: MOVE IT OR IT'S BEING RAZED ; CONSTRUCTION CREWS SET TO START ON LIBRARY EXPANSION; [2 WEST CENTRAL EDITION]
DON STACOM, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Jul 6, 2004. pg. B.3

Author(s): DON STACOM, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Jul 6, 2004. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 659168151
Text Word Count 462
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=659168151&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

(Copyright The Hartford Courant 2004)
By late next week, the historic house at 308 Main St. will be moved or turned into rubble, city officials say.

Preservationist Ken Karl of Plymouth has promised to have the home trucked away Sunday to make room for construction crews who soon will begin expanding the public library next door.

Karl's schedule to haul away the 184-year-old house has been delayed twice, and officials say there's no time left for another postponement.

W. J. Mountford Construction will begin demolishing a vacant house at 300 Main July 14 and will take down the historic 308 Main building as well if it isn't moved, city Purchasing Agent Roger Rousseau said.

The city agreed earlier this year to give Karl the vacant house, provided that he pay to move it. He has told the city council that he will hire a company to truck the building to nearby vacant municipal property and then attempt to convert it to a small museum.

The house was built by Bristol clockmaker Titus Roberts and is a valuable link to the city's clock-manufacturing heritage, Karl said.

"It's part Greek Revival, part Federal style -- a couple of features from this, a couple from that," he said. "I've seen letters that Titus Roberts wrote to home here, letters that he'd written in Alabama when he was selling clocks there in the 1820s."

Utility crews plan to temporarily move electrical, cable and telephone wires that cross above Main Street to allow the house to be slowly moved down the road. It will roll on wheeled platforms pulled by a truck.

The move was scheduled for a Sunday morning to minimize disruption to downtown businesses. But if rain hits Sunday, the work will be done Monday, Karl said.

The move was delayed in May and June, but Karl said everything is now in order for it to go ahead.

City officials said they will not risk cost overruns in the library project by allowing further extensions. The contractor's budget is based on deploying a demolition crew just once; requiring that crew to make separate trips for the 300 and 308 Main St. buildings would add costs, Rousseau said.

Bristol is ready to embark on the $12.3 million expansion of its downtown library and hopes to break ground in August.

The plan is to nearly double the size of the 30,000-square-foot building, creating a computer lab, a 300-seat auditorium, a young adults section and a larger children section. The project also will add lobby space, an elevator and extra room for periodicals and books and will allow expansion of the Bristol history room and the reference department.

"We'll be able to have a bigger collection and our seating will expand significantly," library director Francine Petosa said. "We'll have more space for everything."

PHOTO CAPTION ONLY -- MOVIN

To view this photogragh please visit the Hartford Courant's website, or the July 12, 2004 copy of the Hartford Courant

HISTORIC HOUSE UNSETTLED ; BUILDING'S MOVE STILL NOT FINISHED; [2 WEST CENTRAL EDITION]
DON STACOM, Courant Staff Writer. Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Jan 15, 2005. pg. B.3

People: Karl, Ken
Author(s): DON STACOM, Courant Staff Writer
Dateline: BRISTOL
Section: CONNECTICUT
Publication title: Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn.: Jan 15, 2005. pg. B.3
Source type: Newspaper
ISSN/ISBN: 10474153
ProQuest document ID: 780355041
Text Word Count 423
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=780355041&Fmt=3&clientId=61716&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Please read this article online at The Hartford Courant's Website, or in the January !5, 2005 Hartford Courant.