Old 'Polish Club' On Village Street In Vernon Demolished

VERNON, CT — The red brick building on Village Street in Vernon that dates back to the Victorian Era known as "the old Polish club" in town has been reduced to rubble.

It took parts of Friday, Monday and Tuesday to take down the building. Cleanup at the site was ongoing Wednesday and is expected to continue through the end of the week, town officials said.

The property is located at 26 Village St., adjacent to the helipad at Rockville General Hospital. It dates back to 1897, town records show, but Vernon Economic Development coordinator Shaun Gately said it could not have been saved because of extensive interior damage.

Vernon Fire marshal Dan Wasilewski said the first floor had caved in some time ago and was basically sitting in the basement. The structure had been designated for demolition for some time, he added, but implosion was out of the question because it was within just a few feet of not only the helipad, but some homes on Ward Street.

The helipad is shut down and some neighbors have been temporarily relocated as the process to disassemble the building and clean up the property takes place, officials said. West Haven-based New England Yankee Construction is handling the work. Gately said that, although no formal plans have been submitted, it is likely it will become extra hospital parking, like other adjacent properties recently acquired by the hospitals.

Town records show the building was part of a manufacturing neighborhood established by German immigrants during the Victorian Era. It is unclear whether it was used for a factory and/or a club for that neighborhood but became a Polish club later on, Gately said. It has been vacant for years, even before the floor collapse, he said.