A New Life for the Old Trolley Barn?

This morning's Buzz started by introducing you to the old trolley car barn at the northern end of Main Street (725 Main St.).  The discussion became more about the trolleys than the building, however.

The first trolleys appeared in the 1880s and were drawn by horses. This mode of public transportation was basically limited to Main Street. In 1894, however, the trolleys were electrified as the The Middletown Street Railway and, over time, the lines were extended throughout the city and town of Middletown and to neighboring towns. The trolley was replaced by bus transportation in the mid-1930s.

The electric trolley line to Lakeview Park was a popular route for city people. The cars took people out on Saturdays and Sundays to the lake for the day and brought them back in the evenings. The trolley company owned the pavilion at Lakeview Park, and provided the visitors with an "amusement hall."

Main routes went from Union Depot on Rapallo Avenue, along Main and South Main streets and into Westfield, along High and Grand streets, on Ridge Road to the factories on Russell Street, to the Connecticut Valley Hospital (the Asylum Line), and to Long Lane.

The trolley car barn on Main Street was built about 1895 to house the cars when they were shut down each night and for repairs.  The structure was once considered for use as the headquarters for the Middletown Area Transit station, our local bus service. I suspect it was too far north for everyone's convenience, and the rehabilitation costs were probably astronomical.

It was most recently used by E.I.S. Automotive Corp., which was headquartered on North Main Street. E.I.S. was later purchased by Parker-Hannifin and later by Standard Motor Products. E.I.S. used this structure as a warehouse.

This large space might be a great conversion project for housing by adding a second story and offering studio and one-bedroom apartments. The reuse of the structure, with a focus on landscaping, could beautify the gateway into the city.