Norwalk, State Leaders Break Ground On Revitalization Of City's Wall Street Area

NORWALK, CT — Mayor Harry Rilling, Congressman Jim Himes, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and other local and state officials gathered at Irving Freese Park late Tuesday morning to celebrate the groundbreaking of Wall Street, the first step in the city's $27 million infrastructure investment in revitalizing the area.

After introducing each of his colleagues gathered together to celebrate the official start of the project, Rilling recalled growing up near the Wall Street neighborhood and seeing firsthand how a major flood in 1955 drastically effected the area.

Rilling said the once vibrant urban downtown area never fully recovered from the flood, and has since seen decades of inaction and stalling on any revitalization efforts.

As a result, his administration has made the revitalization of Wall Street a top priority and is now advancing its plans, Rilling said.

"This is an exciting day," Rilling said, "because it's the beginning of the revitalization of Wall Street, an area that has struggled mightily since 1955. It's interesting, I grew up right around the corner here, and after the flood my dad would drive me around...everything around here was decimated. This used to be a thriving, vibrant area back just before 1955."

Rilling also recalled a number of popular businesses in the area that have since closed, including a movie theater and stores that were often filled with shoppers during the holiday season.

"This was an area that every Christmastime there'd be lights strung from pole to pole across the street," Rilling said.

The mayor said he was very proud of his administration for taking action to revitalize the area, which has already seen a number of new businesses and housing open up over the past few years to great success.

"We're finally going to be doing something," Rilling said. "This area has been struggling. There's been studies done [but] nothing has ever been done, and now we're going to change all that. We're going to bring this back to a thriving, vibrant area of which the city and the city's residents and the business area down here can be very proud."

Himes said he has always been intrigued by the 1950's aesthetic the Wall Street area of the city has retained, but also noted it was indicative of the last time major investments were made in the neighborhood.

"As a result, you've got incredible growth happening on West Avenue," Himes said, "amazing growth down in South Norwalk [on] Washington Street. The remodeling of Washington Village was really a remarkable thing, but here was are in a place that is sort of the missing piece to the revitalization of the city of Norwalk, and what a piece it is."

The congressman pointed to the area's location right along the Norwalk River and the number of restaurants, cafes and other businesses that are currently open in the area as evidence of how special the neighborhood currently is, as well as how much greater it can become.

"This is going to be really remarkable once we put the investment into it," Himes said. "This may end up being the jewel. I mean South Norwalk is great, but this may end up being really the jewel of Norwalk once this investment is there."

The city is beginning with Phase 1 of the project, which includes the construction of sidewalks, streetscape, bike lanes and roadway improvements along Wall Street and East Wall Street from Main Street to Brook Street.

This phase aims to transform a block of the corridor by right-sizing travel lanes and increasing the width of sidewalks to increase walkability and connectivity for all modes of transportation, according to additional press materials provided by the city.

The transformation will enhance esthetics and livability in the area through improved pedestrian level lighting, decorative banding, street trees and landscaping upgrades.

It will also enhance residents' quality of life by improving pavement markings, implementing ADA-compliant sidewalks, curb ramps and crossings and installing curb extensions, a raised crosswalk and a flashing beacon.

This project phase will also include the corridor's first gateway arch over the roadway. The city plans to gather the community's feedback on design options for the gateway arch through an online survey.

Duff, who back in February declared 2024 to be "the year of Wall Street," pointed out the revitalization efforts that have already gone into improving Irving Freese Park, a small space located at the corner of Wall and Main streets.

"As [Rilling] said, this is an area that has never really recovered since the 1955 flood," Duff said, "and it has always been a depressed area, an area that has not really seen its full potential, and people have talked about it for decade after decade after decade."

Duff recalled reading about plans for improving the Wall Street area that never really came to fruition as far back as the 1980's.

"This is a big deal," Duff said, "and we're going to continue to make sure that not only is 2024 the year of Wall Street, but 2025, 2026 we'll continue to do that...we will come back here in a few years and say 'wow, this area has really been transformed.'"

Phase 1 of the project is being funded by the state's Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program Grant program, administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Connecticut Council of Governments, according to the city.

Rilling also noted Himes was able to bring $5.5 million to the $27 million project, while Duff is bringing $3.5 million into it.

CTDOT Special Advisor Carlo Leone emphasized his department is committed to improving Connecticut's streetscapes and the lives of residents through transportation.

"We're happy to invest our $2.4 million on top of all the other funding sources here that you've heard contributing to the development of this area," Leone said. "What used to be a great location but then fell into disrepair can be great once again once this project gets off the ground. We'll bring it into the 21st century."

Norwalk Common Council Member Nicol Ayers, who represents the area as part of District A, celebrated the planned improvements to the area, which she not only represents but is also proud to call her neighborhood.

"Look forward to the revitalization of Wall Street," Ayers said. "A lot of people like to say that South Norwalk is the pulse, but I would argue that Wall Street is the heart...this area will be a wonderful area for all families in Norwalk, our small businesses, our large businesses, and we are just so happy to have this Phase 1 start."