Pavilion Hall added to national historic register
WASHINGTON — With its beadboard paneling, antique windows and stage, it may come as no surprise that Harry O. Erickson Pavilion Hall in New Preston has just been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The 6,500-square-foot building, which was built in 1897, is now one of more than 96,000 historic places the nation considers worthy of preservation.
“The national designation pertains to the history of the building as well as to the renovations and restorations that were put into action,” said Washington resident Michael DePerno, who owns Pavilion Hall with Andrew Fry.
The owners of the building, at 17 East Shore Road in New Preston, also own Plain Goods, a seven-yearold lifestyle shop that sells clothing, housewares, furniture, lighting, and antique and vintage items. Plain Goods is located inside Pavilion Hall.
Pavilion Hall plays “an important role in the fabric of the Washington community,” said Fry, who is also a town resident.
It was built by an organization called the Pavilion Club and had been used for many town functions including lectures, dances, dinners, and plays. The building also housed the New Preston Post Office and was the town polling place.
The town of Washington acquired the building in 1947.
The 600-square-foot building that Plain Goods was originally located in, at 1 New Preston Hill Road, is adjacent to Pavilion Hall.
Several years ago, Fry and DePerno received permission from the town to
lease part of Pavilion Hall for storage of Plain Goods’ merchandise.
In early 2018, the men expressed an interest in purchasing the building, and were one of several others who bid on it.
“We had a desire to expand,” DePerno said.
Also, he said Plain Goods’ original location — which it still owns — “is off the beaten path” for New Preston.
“You have to cross the bridge over the Aspectuck River to get to the first location,” he said.
At the time, Pavilion Hall had been empty for several years.
Some residents and business owners were opposed to selling the building, saying it should remain with the town and be used as a community space. They suggested using donations to restore and operate the building.
Former Washington First Selectman Mark Lyon disagreed and said the town couldn’t find a municipal use for the building and so couldn’t justify the high cost to repair it. He said the best use was to sell it to a private entity.
In a town meeting in May of 2018, residents voted to approve the sale of Pavilion
Hall to the Plain Goods’ owners for $140,000.
When purchasing the building, Fry and DePerno made a promise to the town to restore it.
“The town knew our quality of work from having seen our home in Washington, from having seen the restoration and renovation work on our original shop,” DePerno said. “We have a track record and they were able to see other work that had been performed, from a design perspective.”
Renovations, restorations
Since they took ownership, the owners have put on a new roof, restored broken glass windows with antique glass and put the front porch back onto the building.
Additionally, they made several foundation repairs to the building.
“There was a lot of drainage and moisture issues getting into the building because of the way that it’s situated off of East Shore Road,” DePerno said. “Part of the building is curbed into the land and there was an ongoing moisture issue which has been resolved.”
In the building’s interior, they had the original beadboard paneling on the upper level replicated for the lower level. Additionally, they restored a stage on the upper level.
The men still own the original Plain Goods location, and use it for storage. However, they hope to reopen it to the public this summer “as an appendage of the big shop,” Fry said.
Recognition
Pavilion Hall is also on the State Register of Historic Places, and in 2019, the owners of Plain Goods received a preservation award from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation for their work in preserving the building.
The owners said they often answer questions from visitors to the shop about the building’s history, and are interested in giving educational tours of the building.
DePerno said he’s proud the building has been awarded a national designation.
“It’s about preservation. It’s about seeing something that has been neglected and recognizing the value of it, and how it plays a part in the fabric of our community — and having the experience and knowledge as to how to do it right,” he said. “It was our desire to bring this building back to life in the most thoughtful way that we could.”
He said historic buildings such as Pavilion Hall are part of the “historical fabric of our towns and of our nation and anything that we can do to sensitively and appropriately restore them while giving them a new use is a win-win.”