TicketNetwork To Refurbish Old Talcott Brothers School In Vernon

VERNON, CT — TicketNetwork.com has purchased the old Talcott Brothers School building in Vernon and plans to renovate it to its full Victorian Era splendor with a modern use, officials from the town and company said.

The $200,000 purchase deal closed last month, Economic Development Coordinator Shaun Gately said. TicketNetwork CEO Don Vaccaro said the company plans to invest $1 million into the building. A new roof, asbestos abatement and landscaping are part of the immediate work, he said.

It will eventually bvecome a training center for the company with "full use" targeted for September 2020, Vaccaro said.

Gately said it is hard to tell if the presence of now-banned materials like asbestos and lead is extensive, but added "there will likely be some environmental concerns because of the building's age."

The building sits on Main Street and was initially built in 1880 as a schoolhouse for Talcott Brothers mill employees with separate entrances for boys and girls. A wing, to the right when looking at the front of the original schoohouse, was built in the 1950s and a gym was added in the rear during the 1970s, Gately said. The entire complex measures about 13,000 square feet, he said.

The project has been endorsed by historic, municipal and traffic regulators. Employees will be transported to the building, according to the plans.

The area is zoned residential, but the project was approved as an "adaptive reuse," Gately said. That classification also qualified it for a three-year tax break that moderates exorbitant increases based on major investments in historic properties, Gately said.

TicketNetwork was once housed at what is the current Vernon Senior Center on Bolton Road before acquiring the former Gerber corporate campus just over the South Windsor line in 2011.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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