Picture Windsor Locks - Then And Now

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — Today's installment of this pictorial history series takes us back into the not-so-distant past, to a popular restaurant which operated for nearly a quarter century near Bradley International Airport, with a name drawn from the traveling experience.

The Passport Restaurant was opened in Oct. 1974 by Frank and Sonia Sutula, owners of Suffield Caterers. Like the catering business, Sonia and the couple's daughters operated the restaurant, as Frank was chief of the Suffield Police Department at the time. Upon his retirement in 1980, he became a permanent fixture at 584 North Street.

Frank Sutula had an incredible background, serving in the U.S. Air Force as a tail gunner during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. He spent 10 months in a German prisoner of war camp, being liberated in 1945. He joined the Suffield Police Department in 1949, and had risen to the rank of chief by 1953. He retired after 27 years at the helm of the department.

The Sutulas closed the restaurant in 1998 after nearly 24 years in business. It re-opened for a brief period under different ownership in the early 2000s.

After 50 years of marriage, Sonia passed away in 2000 at age 68. Frank died Dec. 3, 2004 at 82.

In 2012, the property at 584 North Street was purchased by John Barberino, and in July 2013, he opened a unique used car dealership called CARite. In 2016, he paid $1.45 million to buy the 6.59 acre former Hertz property diagonally across the street, according to town land records.

Here is a view of the former Passport from Sept. 2019, courtesy of Google Maps.

Do you have a photo of an old Windsor Locks business which no longer exists, to which you own the copyright, and which we could feature in this column? Email tim.jensen@patch.com.

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