Picture Enfield - Then And Now [UPDATED]

ENFIELD, CT — Today's look back into Enfield history is a bit different than usual, as we dig into an old high school yearbook for an advertisement rather than just posting a photo. On page 208 of the 1984 Fermi yearbook is an ad for Eugene's Restaurant, one of the best places for steaks in the entire town.

Located at 31 North Main Street in Thompsonville, Eugene's opened in 1978, owned and operated by Eugene and Dorothy Africano. Noted for fine seafood as well as beef, the restaurant served hungry customers for a dozen years before closing around 1990.

Eugene passed away at age 60 in 1993, while Dorothy passed in 2018 at 79.

Following Eugene's, Joseph F. Cimino and his son, Joseph D. Cimino, ran the T'ville Tavern in that spot for more than 15 years. The elder Cimino, a member of the famous Cimino family which ran the Enfield Dairy Bar for many years, died in 2015 at 85, while the younger passed in 2019 at 60.

In 1993, a pool hall named Sharky's Billiards opened in the upstairs portion of the T'ville Tavern building, but that business was short-lived.

Longtime local photographer John Zirolli sent in this photo, taken during construction of the building and included in his wonderful self-published book, "I Took a Little Trip to My Hometown."

For the last dozen or so years, 31 North Main Street has been home to the North Central District Health Department, which covers the towns of Enfield, East Windsor, Ellington, Stafford, Suffield, Vernon, Windham and Windsor Locks. Here is a contemporary look at the building, courtesy of the Enfield Town Assessor's Office.

Last week's trivia answer:
Last week's trivia question was, "At what former Enfield restaurant was the initial organizational meeting for Asnuntuck Community College held in 1971?" The answer: the Jade Inn on King Street, operated for many years by Paul Yi. The restaurant was featured in this throwback column about two years ago, which may be found here.

This week's trivia question:
Construction of a new bank in the Brookside Plaza has led to the inevitable social media postings along the lines of, "Why does Enfield need another bank, we already have too many, blah blah blah." In fact, the town has always had a proliferation of financial institutions; at one point in the 1950s, there were two such businesses next to each other in downtown Thompsonville, separated only by Freshwater Brook. Name them. Post the answer in the comments section below, or on the Enfield Patch Facebook page. (Thanks Fred!)

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