Around the State: Norwich

Downtown revitalization here continued with the reopening of the Thayer Building in October. An office building erected in 1915, the Thayer is located just a block from the Wauregan Hotel, the local landmark whose long and difficult redevelopment has been a catalyst for much other work in Norwich. Like the Wauregan, it is included in the Downtown Norwich National Register district.

New York-based developer Gary Tse has converted the Thayer Building’s upper levels to 32 apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units. Many have views of Franklin Square through the large, Chicago-style windows that are the building’s hallmark. Retaining and repairing the windows’ copper-clad frames and spandrels was a key element of the rehabilitation work. Before Tse came along, the building had sat empty for a number of years. As a result, he had to deal with mold and basement contamination. The building’s layout also made it necessary to obtain zoning approvals for some nonstandard apartments. Several of the other buildings in Franklin Square are still empty or partially empty, but Tse told the Norwich Bulletin that that didn’t worry him. In fact, a number of the Thayer Building’s apartments were spoken for well before the building opened, and a law firm—operated by Tse’s sister—occupies one of the storefronts.