Strand Theater to be demolished, salvaged

Susan Danseyar, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·3 min read

Jul. 8—ENFIELD — The town is working with the Opera House Players and the Historical Society on what they could use from an architectural salvage of the Strand Theater in Thompsonville.

THE STRAND

HISTORY: The theater, which opened Sept. 30, 1937, was once the entertainment mainstay of the Thompsonville neighborhood.

TODAY: The long-vacant building at 11 North Main St. is scheduled to be demolished this summer.

SENTIMENTAL: The town is working with the Opera House Players and the Historical Society on what they could reuse and reinstall from an architectural salvage of the theater.

Demolition of the long-vacant building at 11 North Main St., along with the Lamagna Activity Center at 19 North Main St., is expected this summer. Contractors attended a pre-bid demolition meeting in late June.

On June 20, the Town Council authorized Town Manager Ellen Zoppo-Sassu to sign a memorandum of understanding with Impact Residential Development LLC to construct a mixed-use development that will include apartments for the theater and activity center properties.

During the Town Council meeting this week, Zoppo-Sassu said her office posted photos of the Strand on its Facebook page, which generated a lot of interest and a range of emotions. She said the town is waiting until July 12 to get bids back on remediation work to be done before demolition.

"It's important to carry on traditions of that building in another one in Thompsonville," Zoppo-Sassu said. Salvaging the theater is delicate work and the administration is working on figuring out how to do it safely, she said.

The theater, which opened Sept. 30, 1937, was once the entertainment mainstay of the Thompsonville neighborhood where people walked to see movies. Many have recalled Saturday matinees for children that cost 20 cents and other movies they saw at the Strand.

Residents have taken to social media to describe why the theater holds sentimental value for them. Some have lamented losing Enfield's majestic old buildings like the Strand.

Several groups have tried to renovate or reinvent the theater without success. Private individuals have tried to re-open the Strand, also to no avail.

In January 2021, former Town Manager Christopher Bromson presented a cost-saving, building consolidation plan to the Town Council where buildings on four town-owned properties, including the Lamagna Activity Center and the Strand, would be demolished and sold. According to the plan, certain town departments on the properties would be relocated.

The Lamagna Activity Center, which houses both the Youth Services and Recreation departments, has since moved operations to the former Thomas G. Alcorn Elementary School at 1010 Enfield St. and the Town Annex.

The council approved the plan at a subsequent meeting. Bromson and members of the council acknowledged the buildings have sentimental value to members of the community, but the plan to demolish and sell them for commercial purposes was in the best economic interest of the town.

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