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3/27/2015 - State awards $5M for Downtown renovation of Brown Building

The State of Connecticut will provide up to $5 million for restoration of the historic Brown Building at Bank and East Main streets in Downtown Waterbury, a project at the heart of Mayor Neil M. O’Leary’s Downtown Revitalization Plan.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced Thursday March 26 that the state Department of Housing will provide funds for the project – the lynchpin of Mayor O’Leary’s Downtown plan called Waterbury NEXT.

“We are grateful to Governor Malloy and Housing Commissioner Evonne Klein,” the Mayor said. “This is the big step that we’ve been looking for in a real transformation for our City. This means we can move our Downtown revitalization forward in a major way.”

The Brown Building was constructed in 1930 and is adjacent to Downtown employment centers, mass transit opportunities, the University of Connecticut Waterbury Campus, the Palace Theater and the newly restored St. Patrick’s Hall, known locally as the Rectory Building.

The project will convert vacant office space on the building’s second and third floors into 38 units of mixed-income one- and two-bedroom apartments. The first floor will remain as commercial space and the building’s façade will be renovated to reflect its original historic character.

The Brown Building renovation is central to Waterbury NEXT and the City’s partnership with the UCONN Waterbury Branch. It will help the City market its Downtown to students and young professionals with the concept of attracting more people Downtown as a living environment.

Waterbury NEXT is a public-private partnership that represents an almost $20 million investment in revitalizing our Downtown. It includes the Green and Downtown Streetscape Projects.

In addition, Waterbury was the recipient last year of a federal TIGER Grant. This $19 million project will enhance mass transit in our City while highlighting the beauty and viability of our Downtown.