I found this video on YouTube from the East Berlin Volunteer Fire Department, who has recorded video of past fires. This one shows the infamous Woolworth fire in Berlin, CT that completely destroyed the store in April, 1997. I've never seen a store fire this bad since.
LINK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6JKyefsi9A&t=6s
Neat video.
Was that from another store originally, or just an unusual façade (the arches) - not sure that I've seen another Woolworth with that design?
Berlin Cinema 1 & 2 was located next to Woolworth and had those same arches. If I'm not mistake they have since bulldozed the cinema part. 21 years and 2 different landlords since the fire they never rebuilt the section that burned. It was owned by Chase Enterprises and now is owned by Ocean State Job Lot.
Quote from: BillyGr on June 28, 2018, 12:27:57 PM
Was that from another store originally, or just an unusual façade (the arches) - not sure that I've seen another Woolworth with that design?
I don't know when the brick arch façade was constructed, although I have to believe this was not the original. The original had to have been the retro 60s design (this plaza was built in the early 60s). The entire building was the brick arches in the 90s until Food Mart moved down to the old Railroad Salvage (now Job Lot) and that end of the plaza up to Woolworths was completely done over to the 90s A&P building design. The rest of the plaza that wasn't damaged by the fire was given a new façade in 2001 when Job Lot took the former original Food Mart. The old cinema was painted white and was boarded up until it was demolished in 2015.
Did they ever determine what caused that fire?? I'm no fire investigator, but that looks like arson to me
Quote from: scottw73 on June 29, 2018, 01:42:14 AM
Did they ever determine what caused that fire?? I'm no fire investigator, but that looks like arson to me
I don't think it was ever determined. Some thought it was faulty wiring and the effect of a power issue at the movie theater across the street. There was a fire at a pet store down the other end of the plaza months earlier. They were able to get the pets out safe I believe/hope. The space wasn't heavily damaged but sat empty for almost 20 years. It became a Tandy Leather location, which relocated from East Hartford. You'd never know there was a fire there. This goes to show something could have been done with the Woolworth space. They could have rebuilt the space as another store many times over. Woolworth went out as a company the year of the fire, so they never would have reopened.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/207+Webster+Square+Rd,+Berlin,+CT+06037/@41.6302774,-72.745723,3a,75y,280.18h,88.92t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sngwCiXeKvoLqN9c-Ni_XhQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x89e7b3632baa8333:0x9396ee3d4e889af4!8m2!3d41.631075!4d-72.744996 that is what the spot where the fomer woolworths was and what it looks like today