Developers and public officials representing Meriden broke ground last week on a project to convert the historic Aeolian Organ and Music Company factory into a mixed-income apartment building, which will provide 82 new housing units in the city’s North End.
During a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, town officials and members of Meriden’s legislative delegation said the adaptive reuse of the 140-year-old factory complex would provide housing solutions for new residents in a variety of income brackets.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Sen. Jan Hochadel, D-Meriden, said, “not only for the residents but the community and Meriden as a whole, because Meriden is known as a great place to live and raise your family and I think this project exemplifies that so I cannot wait to see this final project finished. I hope it becomes a model for everywhere in this state because this project will change lives while revitalizing those communities.”
Of the 82 housing units that will be created by the project, 71 units will be affordably priced for household making at or below 80% of the area’s median income. The project is located within walking distance of public transportation and will include amenities like a fitness center, kids’ playroom, indoor bike storage, and a community room.
Dan Drazen, a vice president at developer Trinity Financial, described the factory’s storied history as a one-time leading producer of automated organs and pianos. The Meriden-based facility produced high-end musical instruments between 1887 and 1930, he said.
Trinity’s “adaptive reuse” project seeks to preserve much of the facility’s historical charm by including original features like exposed beams or new energy-efficient windows built in an historically accurate style. Drazen joked that the project’s developers had settled on a new name, Tremont Flats at the Piano Factory, because “it’s easier to say.”
The redevelopment of the 123,000 square-foot building at 85 Tremont St. has been funded in part by $9.5 million in financing from the Connecticut Department of Housing and $4.78 million in financing from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.
U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, said the project came at a perfect time, as Connecticut seeks to address an ongoing shortage of available housing units, and served the dual purpose of repurposing a long-vacant property.
“This community has had to live with this blighted property for so long that I can imagine the excitement and the anticipation of seeing it transform,” she said.
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