Breathing new life into an undieing legacy

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form

Downtown Waterbury 

Historic District

       Waterbury is a small industrial city of about 110,000 (this number may be subject to revision) people located along the Naugatuck River in western Connecticut. Hartford lies 28 miles to the northeast, New Haven is 19 miles to the southeast, and Danbury is 30 miles to the southwest. The Downtown Waterbury Historic District includes 130 buildings in the principal commercial and municipal government areas of the city. Downtown Waterbury, as it stands today, is mostly the product of building done in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The commercial and municipal core of the city grew up on the meadow lands of the east bank of the Naugatuck River that had accommodated the original small settlement of the eighteenth century. As the city grew, additional areas for homes and industries were developed on the slopes of the surrounding hills, eventually ringing the city center with houses, factories and small shops.

     These satellite settlements were once connected with downtown by trolley lines; today they are served by buses. North, South, East, and West Main Streets, which converge at Exchange Place, form the major downtown arteries, together with Bank St., which runs south from Exchange Place, and Grand St., which parallels West Main St. one block to the south. The other streets in the District are either connectors between these major thoroughfares, or are streets whose major length and importance lie outside the district's boundaries. There are two tracts of open public space in the District. First, the Green, a remnant of the original town common, is located at the foot of West Main Street,

     The second is Library Park, located between the railroad station and the Bronson Library on the south side of Grand St. The boundary of the District is determined by distinct physical barriers. To the north of West Main Street lies a residential area of single-family homes; north of East Main St. is an area of mostly vacant urban renewal lots. The district's eastern boundary is formed by a large open square at the junction of East Main, North Elm and South Elm Streets, and by recent construction (parking garage) on the east side of South Elm Street. From South Elm the boundary runs southwest, crossing School, Spring, Brook, South Main, and Bank Streets, and is determined by older buildings to the north and vacant land or new construction to the south.

     The boundary crosses Grand Street in a diagonal line from Bank Street to Cottage Place, skirting new construction to the east and encompassing the U.S. Post Office at the corner of Grand and Cottage. From Cottage Place the boundary continues westward, including on Field Street the Armory as well as the buildings already listed on the National Register District as part of the Cass Gilbert/Waterbury Municipal Center. The boundary runs northwest.

     This District includes properties with the following street addresses.  Some addresses are given as inclusive numbers (e.g. 68-78 Center St.); in these cases the numbers refer to one building with a number of store fronts or entrances. Buildings without numbers are identified by their common name, such as "Immaculate Conception Church."

Weissman Building Alive Again in Waterbury

105 - 109 Bank Street - Weisman Building

Street level retail w/offices above Waterbury, CT 06702-2205  Property Type: Office Sub Type:

Age of existing structure: 

111 year   Existing Year Built:1900

4 Stories Typical Floor:4,174 SF  Building Size:16,000 SF

Smallest Space:4,000 SF Largest Space:16,000 SF Total Space Avail:16,000 SF  Rent/SF/Yr:$9.50 Parking:Free Covered spaces

Waterbury’s Enterprise Zone

       The Enterprise Zone in Waterbury is the second largest zone in the state of Connecticut.  It consists of more than 1,600 properties.  The general boundaries are Route 8 (westerly), South Main Street/Thomaston Avenue/Cherry Street to include Census Tract  #3501 (easterly), the Waterbury/Watertown border (northerly), and the Waterbury /Naugatuck border (southerly).  The Waterbury  Development Corporation administers the Enterprise Zone program  which offers incentives to applicants  that undertake a project.  It has two components: the State component and the Local component.  The benefits of the State component are primarily intended to assist manufacturers, however, some wholesale businesses and certain financial  and business-related services may also qualify. The benefits are:

            1)         a 5-year, 80% tax abatement on real estate taxes and personal property taxes for personal property that is new to the city’s grand list;

            2)         up to a 50% tax reduction on state corporate business taxes for a 10-year period,  attributable to increases in income as a result of the project;

            3)         an 80% tax abatement on personal property taxes for qualifying personal property that is acquired during the 5 year certificate period; said abatement applies to the number of years remaining in the certificate period from the time of purchase.

            4)         a sales tax exemption on the purchase of replacement parts for machinery and equipment used in the manufacturing process.

To qualify for these benefits, an applicant would have to meet all of the following requirements:

            1)         the business must have the appropriate North American Industrial Classification designation, as recognized by the Connecticut Department of Labor;

            2)         the location must have been vacant or idle for a period of up to one year,  depending on the number of the business’ employees; and,

            3)         if the business does not own the property, then the business must have a minimum  5-year lease with a 5-year option to renew.

Enterprise Zone benefits are granted on an annual basis on October 1st.  By this date, a company would have to:

            1)         have a signed lease, or acquired the property;

            2)         have relocated its operations into the space;

            3)         have the operation up and running;

            4)         have formally filed an application for Enterprise Zone benefits through this office.

    Should this be the case, then an applicant would be eligible to receive benefits as of that October 1st grand  year list.

    Please bear in mind that these requirements don’t apply to a sales tax exemption for replacement parts for machinery and equipment used in the manufacturing process.  As long as a company is located in the Zone to do business, it can qualify for this benefit.

       The Local component is geared towards residential projects and commercial or retail developments, as well as certain manufacturing operations that may be considered ineligible under the State component.  The sole benefit is:

            A tax abatement for a 7-year period on a sliding scale (100% - 1st year; 100% - 2nd year; 50% - 3rd year; 40% - 4th year; 30% - 5th year; 20% - 6th year; 10% - 7th year) for real      and personal property taxes applicable to increases to the city’s grand list.

      To qualify for this benefit, the following requirements must be satisfied:

            1)         the total cost of the expansion, renovation, new construction or purchase of new                                 machinery and equipment, or any combination of said costs, must be greater than                           50% of the assessed property value (building only) prior to the commencement of the project; and

            2)         if the project consists of any renovation, expansion or new construction, it must be evidenced by a building permit and a certificate of occupancy, as well as bills and invoices substantiating the cost of the project.

            3)         for residential projects, the annual income of the occupants cannot exceed 200% of the median family income of the city.

     There may be minor deviations of structuring or approaching a claim for benefits.  Prior to undertaking a project or executing a lease, it is strongly suggested that a business client discuss the issue with a WDC official in order to determine eligibility.