THE CADDEN.

NORWICH CONNECTICUT

 

I like this storefront in the heart of Norwich’s historic downtown. It remains very close to original, with its wood panels and indented doorway. Even the door itself looks original. The transom windows remain; many times commercial transoms have been covered over with metal, giving a great storefront a black eye. Sure, the upper windows are likely replacements, but I like the signage. There’s something comforting about windows festooned with information about what goes on inside. I imagine the gallery folks below the BAIL BONDS sign cringe a bit when they see it, though. A little more subtle lettering and an archaic font would suit it better. But then jailbirds can’t be choosebirds I guess.

I’d personally like to see a more diverse color scheme; the two grayish blues are too alike for me. The magnificent pressed-steel cornice is the finest feature of the building, and should be painted in such a way as to stand out and say ‘Look at me!’ I can envision a three tiered color scheme on that, including the little wreaths painted to stand out more.

Apparently Cadden got around quite a bit in this burg, what with the Plaut-Cadden building I featured a few posts ago. I’m not sure just what makes this THE Cadden, though. It is decidedly older than the multi-storied Plaut-Cadden.

This one is also spelled with a period.