Danbury’s Tuxedo Junction May Soon Be Demolished to Make Way for a Bank

On Thursday (10/28/21) Savings Bank of Danbury held a press conference and issued a press release to announce the eventual construction of a bank on the corner of Main Street and White Street.

Get our free mobile app

As part of the large-scale plan, famed Danbury Nightclub Tuxedo Junction would need to go.

The Savings Bank of Danbury joined with City Officials met on the streets to share that they'll construct a 35,000 square foot bank office in Downtown Danbury. They shared an artist rendering of what the facility will look like (pictured below).

Present for the photo opportunity were L to R - PJ Prunty - President & CEO of the Greater-Danbury Chamber of Commerce, Savings Bank of Danbury CEO Martin G. Morgado, City Hall Chief of Staff & Mayoral hopeful Dean Esposito and Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo.

The new building will house the Bank’s "non-branch back–office operations team." The bank office will be laid out where two adjacent properties currently are, that are owned by the YMCA and the City of Danbury.

Martin Margado had this to say of the project:

"We are very grateful to Mayor Cavo and the City Council, and the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut for their collaboration as we undertake this new project. We will build a first-class structure that will honor the legacy of this property and this city. Our new location will enable us to consolidate our non-branch back-office operations and provide dynamic meeting space and operations facilities. As the oldest continuously operating business in the City of Danbury, with a history dating back to 1849, we are so pleased that we found the right location within the City of Danbury.”

Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo added:

"We congratulate Savings Bank of Danbury on this exciting expansion project within our city center. This plan will lead to additional employment opportunities and daily foot traffic, fueling the ongoing economic revitalization of downtown. The building would be located on the corner of Main Street and White Street with excellent visibility, creating an impressive gateway to downtown Danbury.”

The YMCA used to use one of the properties for their Escape to the Arts program and the other property used to be Tuxedo Junction but was purchased by the City in 2017.

I spoke to Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo this morning (10/29/21) at around 5:30 am to clear up some confusion. I was trying to picture what a bank on the corner of Main and White Street has to do with an empty nightclub on Ives Street. I could not make heads or tails of it. I asked the Mayor that question and he responded:

"Yes, the bank wants to the property for some utilities and for about 15 parking spaces closer to the White Street side. The Post Office side will be green space facing the post office walkway and Green now, but eventually they think they'll put a building up at the Tuxedo Junction Property as part of the next expansion phase."

I asked about a timeline on when demolition and construction will begin, Mayor Cavo said:

"Tuxedo and the old Feinson buildings should come down soon, construction will start in Spring of 2022. It will be about a one and half year construction timeline with the opening coming somewhere in the middle of 2023."

The deal is not completely cemented. The Mayor told me there are some more steps to the process, saying:

"All the purchases have to happen together. It will take the City a few months to properly sell the Tuxedo piece. Ad-Hoc, a public hearing and a final vote by the City Council. The Savings Bank of Danbury also needs to close on the corner property(s) as well. There are lots of moving pieces but this is very achievable with the cooperation of all involved parties."

It's great that a business wants to invest in the Downtown area but it's also a bit sad for those of us who spent our weekends at Tuxedo Junction which was famous for young locals for decades. Sometimes progress means letting go of the past and that building has been vacant since 2015.

We've all been waiting for someone to buy it from the City, re-open it as "Tuxedo Junction" and bring back the nightlife, but that person has not come along and it looks like they never will so it's time to move one. The Mayor highlighted how great this can be for Danbury economy saying:

"It will bring construction jobs, seventy plus bank employees and much needed foot traffic to Downtown Danbury. We are grateful to Savings Bank of Danbury for their continued support of our great city."