Letter: Bristol needs to protect historic heritage downtown

Posted 4/26/18

On June 8, 2017, Bristol Town Administrator Steven Contente spoke in the Roswell Bosworth, Jr. Lecture Series about the development of two historic properties on Bristol’s downtown waterfront. …

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Letter: Bristol needs to protect historic heritage downtown

Posted

On June 8, 2017, Bristol Town Administrator Steven Contente spoke in the Roswell Bosworth, Jr. Lecture Series about the development of two historic properties on Bristol’s downtown waterfront. These are the Thames Street Gladding Tin Shop and Tinsmith’s House (the Azevedo properties), the only historic tin shop still left on the coast.

Steven described his view of downtown development, which maintains the small town, family friendly character of Bristol. His vision was inspiring. I learned that economic development should not sacrifice the qualities which make Bristol a unique place to live and visit.

Bristol residents are proud of their historic heritage. It is key to our local culture. Bristol historic heritage is recognized with accolades in travel and architectural journals. Bristol heritage brings economic commerce to our town. People come to town to experience the July celebration, Blithewold, Herreshoff, Linden Place, the Bristol Art Museum, and Hope Street. 

People walk on High, State, Church and Constitution streets. Thames Street and the waterfront district has so much history and wonder to offer residents and visitors. We should encourage development which honors the Bristol tradition and offers a glimpse into our past. We want to support and further our historic heritage. 

The Belvedere developer has destroyed the original historic structure at State and Thames street (application is on file). He plans to replace it with a large upscale condo and entertainment complex. The proposed architecture ignores the previous building and the historic character of the waterfront area.

The massive building would dominate the neighborhood and detract from the historic ambiance. People will remark on its incongruity and inappropriate architecture. They will feel that encroaching density and urbanization are displacing our small-scale, family hometown.

A major external feature in this condo is the rooftop entertainment deck, which will echo the nearby Thames Waterside Bar & Grill entertainment deck. A previous design for this project included a rooftop bar, and we can expect that to be added in the future. The probable open air music of the rooftop entertainment deck is likely to result in public noise. The pool, leisure activities, proposed umbrellas and probable sun tent are likely to be visible and audible from points on the waterfront and from the center of town.

If we permit this massive building, we set a precedent for all the remaining open lots and tear-downs on Thames Street. Our prime waterfront thoroughfare could become “Condo Canyon,” where tall buildings block the sun, and views are replaced by building facades. 

The proposal for Belvedere at Thames is not the economic development we want. Massive buildings like this will destroy the Bristol waterfront and sacrifice the qualities which make Bristol a unique place to live and visit. Bristol deserves waterfront development that makes us proud to live in Bristol and encourages business that fosters our small town tradition and tourist economy. 

Robert Jacobus

35 Church St., Bristol

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