Former Spruce Street Firehouse Becomes East Side Youth Center

The original plan Thursday evening was to have the jazz band outside and have everyone stand alongside the musicians, witnessing the ribbon cutting of the renovated Spruce Street firehouse.

Even though Mother Nature did not allow this outside plan to work, thanks to a torrential downpour of rain and lighting delivered at the last minute, the ribbon cutting of the East Side Public Safety Youth Center still occurred Thursday - albeit indoors. 

The ribbon cutting, along with an art exhibit, marked the opening of the new community center at 153 Spruce St. 

“New life has been breathed into the halls of this Cheney firehouse which was built back in 1923,” Mayor Louis Spadaccini said. “This renovated and refurbished building will provide an excellent environment for youth and community programming for decades to come.”

The fire department left the firehouse in 1967, and ever since, the building was mainly a storage facility and not utilized often. Now, Spadaccini said the center will have many initiatives that will improve the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhoods and provide a place for young people to learn and serve the community.

The mayor said the center will be the home for the Manchester Police Explorers, the Block Watch, the Manchester Youth Commission, the Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT), among others. The center will also work in conjunction with other neighborhood resources, such as the new Youth Service Bureau and the new Bennet Leisure Center.

“Perhaps most important is that this facility will house the Office of Neighborhood and Families,” Spadaccini said. “This town office is charged with the vital task of enacting the recommendations of the master plan for youth, children, and families.”

The master plan was the product of a community-wide effort, and Spadaccini said its success is important to the community’s future. 

“We’re sort of at the infancy stage of what the purpose of this building is,” Chris Silver, director of the Office of Neighborhood and Families, said. “It’s pretty much a foundation for the center right now, and its content will evolve with time.”

Silver would like to see the community center become vibrant with residents and organized groups that take on a leadership role in the building and manage the activities there.

An art exhibit by Nathan Hale School students, entitled the People and Places in Your Neighborhood, was featured as part of the opening. These elementary school students were bussed to Manchester Community College for four weeks, where the MCC Art Club taught them how to produce art; the end results were hung on the center's wall for opening night.

“It was an opportunity for them to build their confidence,” Silver said. “They were also exposed to higher education through this, to give them a long term vision of ‘I want to go to college’ or ‘I want to become an artist."”

Those who attended the ribbon cutting also had the opportunity to design their own tile to be included for a community mural.

“The tile project is to draw your favorite person or favorite place in the community, and the tiles will all become part of a mosaic that will go in the new center,” Silver said.

Some members of the community were upset over the $1 million renovation price tag, but others believe it will be worth every penny in the long run.

“This is awesome, just beautiful,” Christiane O’Brien, of the Manchester Arts Commission, said. “I remember when the building was a mess, and this is just what the area needs, bringing artists and community together. I think they’re starting to realize that the arts are important and not something to laugh about.”