Willimantic's Blocks Part 4 by Pete Zizka 10-21-2023

For the stories about “blocks”, I’ve relied on city directories, newspaper reports, insurance maps and several of Tom Beardsley’s articles. A few weeks ago, we began looking at some of Willimantic’s larger buildings, which were referred to at the time, as “blocks”. While most were constructed of brick, the earliest ones were of wood construction and none survive today. What was probably the oldest of the wooden blocks was the Melony Block which was at 828 Main Street. The Melony Block started out as the first home of the Congregational Church and was remodeled when the congregation moved to its new building on Walnut and Valley Streets in 1870. The Melony Block was home to William Asher’s Maverick Laundry, the Blanchette Furniture Store and George Walker’s Saloon on the ground floor. The second floor was occupied by offices and the third floor by tenants. In May, 1908, the block was nearly ruined by fire but was repaired and was part of Main Street until 1937 when Abraham Beller purchased the building from Albina Belanger. Beller tore down the old building and built what became known as the Beller Block. In the ‘60’s, Beller’s Package Store was located there and Dr. Basden had offices upstairs. The Beller Block exists today on Main Street. The Tanner Block, built on the northeast corner of Main and Walnut Streets rivaled the Melony Block for age. The block went back to circa 1853 when Warren Tanner purchased a slaughterhouse and livery stable in the rear of that location. It had been erected by BALDWIN. The stable was accessed by using a small passage which became known as Tanner’s Lane and, in 1865, was widened and renamed North Street. Tanner then built a commercial block on the site. In 1899, the front part of the building was remodeled into a saloon named “The O.T.Cafe” after Willimantic Mayor Oscar O. Tanner. Tanner opened two other saloons in Willimantic and brewed and bottled beer. Oscar Tanner sold the building to James Shea in 1905 but the saloon kept the “O.T.” name. In the 1940s, Contos’ News Store, the Center Pharmacy and First National Stores were located in it. The building was torn down to make room for Todd’s Department Store. In April, 1880, the borough burgesses, “Voted permission to Levi A. Frink to build a three-story wood building on the site of his present dwelling on Main Street”. Frink then moved his old house, which had been on Main Street for fifty years,  back from the street and put up a three story building with brick basement in its place. He planned to occupy the lower rooms in the new building and have a number of tenements to rent in the upper part. That August, The Chronicle reported that, “Levi Frink's new block has taken a new start and begins to look something like a building. Meanwhile he is selling off his stock at low prices to save moving.” His business, curiously, was called “The Voluntown Bazaar”. Frink advertised. “ The best and the cheapest assortment of Stoves, Tin, Glass, Crockery, Etc. Plumbing, and tin roofing, sheet iron, copper and tin work done to order at short notice and in the best manner. All stove repairing is cash on delivery.” Upon opening, Frink turned the business over to his wife, Elnora who then became one of the very few female business owners in the city while Frink managed the business. The store also advertised Frink’s promise, “to astonish his customers with his low prices for the next thirty days. Now is the time to make a trade with him, while he feels good over his new block”! The business, however, “met with reverses” and he ended up dying in the Almshouse where he and his wife resided for four years. Frink sold his block to Martha C. Fuller for $500 in 1889. Two years later, she sold the building and a neighboring tract to Marcus L. Tryon who dealt extensively in Willimantic real estate. Tryon also bought the old Post Office site from “Mary L. James, a single woman who never married, according to the deed.” In 1923, the Heller Family bought the building from Tryon. The Hellers opened two businesses there, Harry Heller’s Auto Accessories and Max Heller’s Insurance. In the ‘60s, Max Heller carried on his real estate and insurance businesses from the block at 943-955 Main Street. The ground floor, as some will remember, was home to Bob Moore’s Package Store and Patsy LaMorte’s newsstand. The building was torn down in January, 1972.

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