Dear Preservation 911,

The Duggan School today (Bill Ellis)

I wrote to you last time about the Waterbury City Hall. I believe it helped because shortly thereafter a member of the trust wrote a piece for the Hartford Courant.

I need help again. I've written to my local paper several times in defense of the Duggan School in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Waterbury, Conn., an 1890 masonry building of great beauty.

The city wants to tear it down for a new school. The architecture firm says it would cost the same to renovate it and update it, while tearing down a 1913 extension and some surrounding blighted buildings for parking spaces. Well, now it has hit another snafu and is likely to be torn down again unless something drastic happens. The state is behind the demolition this time; they won't pay a few dollars more to renovate it . Read about it here: http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=20723

What I really think needs to happen is for our local historical society to get some religion and some know-how to fight for it: push for a code, demonstrate how to get grant money to spruce it up.

Thank you so much for your help in the past.

Sincerely,

Bill Ellis

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