SHARE

Community Rallies To Save Historic Building From Demolition In Stamford

Nearly 1,500 have signed a Change.org petition to save three buildings in Stamford's South End National Register Historic District that are slated for demolition in six months.

The Schick Annex section of the Nineteenth Century Blickensderfer Typewriter factory building is under consideration for demolition.

The Schick Annex section of the Nineteenth Century Blickensderfer Typewriter factory building is under consideration for demolition.

Photo Credit: Emily Derr via Change.org

Developer Building and Land Technology has filed applications to demolish the Schick Annex section of the 19th-century Blickensderfer Typewriter factory on 650 Atlantic St. and two wood frame multi-family houses on 79 Garden St. and 130 Henry St.

They are both existing affordable housing buildings, according to petition writer Emily Derr of the Stamford Historic Neighborhood Preservation group, to widen Garden Street.

The company has developed a nearby series of residential and commercial space, called Harbor Point, along approximately 100 acres of the Stamford waterfront.

The developer previously attempted to bulldoze the sites to widen the road in 2016 but was met with pushback from the preservationists in the community, and pulled their permit applications.

The developer stated that it only intends to remove the Schick Annex, not the entirety of the Blickensderfer Typewriter Factory. 

"We recognize the importance of safely preserving historic buildings, like the Blickensderfer Typewriter Factory, as they are part of our unique community fabric," Ted Ferrarone, Co-President of Building and Land Technology. "We have preserved hundreds of thousands of square feet of historic structures in the South End, including the Lofts at Yale & Towne, Seven Market Street, 711 Canal Street, 845 Canal Street, and the Pacific Street Firehouse. 

"At 650 Atlantic Street, we have worked in collaboration with the City of Stamford, the State of Connecticut, and our neighbors to create a redevelopment plan that balances historic preservation, environmental remediation, health and safety, and economic development – and includes the preservation and rehabilitation of the Blicksenderfer Factory building."

The original Blickensderfer Typewriter factory produced the first electric typewriter, invented by Stamford resident George Canfield Blickensderfer, and was built in 1896.

to follow Daily Voice Stratford and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE