On September 18, Circuit Riders from the CT Trust attended a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the successful rehabilitation of a former school into Bingham Place Apartments. Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, former teachers, administrators and students joined representatives from the SHPO, DECD and Eversource at the ceremony. Bristol Enterprises including developer Ted Lazarus used state and federal tax credits to help fund the rehabilitation.
The former Clarence A. Bingham School was built to serve newly-arrived immigrant families drawn to Bristol’s factories when it was first opened in 1916. It continued to serve as an elementary school until 2010 and was listed on the National Register in 2017.
Following the rehabilitation features from the original classrooms can still be found throughout the building such as glazed brick in the hallways and tall windows and chalkboards in many of the apartments. In addition to repurposing an important historic resource, the project incorporates solar and geothermal systems to reduce energy consumption for future residents.