Renovations approved to turn old Norwalk jail into historical attraction
The Norwalk City Council approved a $478,000 contract with Titan Enterprises to restore the interior of the three-story building at 35 Smith St. and turn the city's old jail into a historical attraction.
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Norwalk's old jail is getting new life with plans to make it a museum that pays tribute to the city’s heritage.
This month, the city council approved a $478,000 contract with Titan Enterprises to restore the interior of the three-story building at 35 Smith St. and turn it into a historical attraction. The property is in need of some modern upgrades to properly preserve the past.
“There's no heating and cooling or electric or bathroom or anything like that,” explained David Westmoreland, a member of the Norwalk Historical Commission, who spearheaded the project.
Westmoreland said the first-floor jail cells will be restored, along with the graffiti that was left there by the city’s so-called vagrants, thieves and scamps.
“The one behind me is a guy by the name of Harry Spray,” Westmoreland said, pointing to writing on one of the walls. “He signed it April 23, 1894, so we're preserving all that graffiti, and we're researching their stories and what happened. We'll have exhibits on the infamous prisoners, and we had some infamous jailers as well.”
The second floor will display the Norwalk Historical Society's collection of pottery and share the backgrounds of the people behind that work. “Norwalk had five or six different pottery factories. It was a big industry in the 1700s and 1800s,” Westmoreland stated.
The old jail was initially built in the late 1700s as a one-story structure to store pottery works from a nearby factory, according to Westmoreland. He said the city bought the property in the 1840s, adding cells to the first floor and a second floor, where the jailer lived. In the 1880s, it was expanded again with a gabled roof to accommodate bedrooms for the jailer’s growing family, Westmoreland said.
“I think that's one of the most special things about Norwalk is our history,” Mayor Barbara Smyth told News 12. “That history is a really important part of who we are. This jailhouse is just below the Mill Hill Historic Park, which houses the meeting house from the 1800s. It houses the Fitch House, as well as the little red schoolhouse and one of our oldest cemeteries in town.”
The jail was converted into a residential property in the 1970s, with two studio apartments on the second floor, until a fire involving a space heater in 2010 caused major damage.
“I’ve been working 16 years to get this building restored,” Westmoreland said.
Insurance financed exterior repairs from the fire, and money from FEMA covered damage sustained during Superstorm Sandy. The city also received a grant allowing officials to make the building ADA-compliant. Now comes the next chapter in what’s been a labor of love for Westmoreland.
“This is the first money the city is spending,” Westmoreland said. “This has finally made it to the top of the list, and I’m looking forward to getting it done.”
“I'd just like to thank the Norwalk Historical Society for their commitment to making sure that we always remember Norwalk’s history and to continue investing in it,” Smyth shared.
Westmoreland said the hope is to have construction wrapped up next spring. It’ll then take another six months to get all the exhibits together. The goal is to open the building to the public in the fall of 2027.
