Events
NPT in the Community
Before SONO was SONO: A look at how it all began
Norwalk Preservation Trust will present a special showing of the award-winning 1986 documentary about South Norwalk, Survival of A Small City, at the South Norwalk Public Library, 10 Washington Street. Sunday May 5th, 3 pm.
In the early 1980s, the City of Norwalk, led by newly elected Mayor Bill Collins, began an effort to rehabilitate the historic neighborhood around Washington Street 
in South Norwalk. The result of that effort is the successful and vibrant area that we now call SONO. It was not an easy task and the original Norwalk Preservation Trust was founded by Valle Fay and others to help preserve the area. It was difficult to find a developer who understood the profit potential in historic preservation. It was equally difficult to convince the residents of the area that this project, which would require them to find new places to live, was good for the city.
Nancy Salzer and Pablo Frasconi, son of renowned artist and Village Creek resident Antonio Frasconi, documented part of the process in Survival of A Small City, which explores the effect of the project on Washington Street residents and business owners. It features interviews with residents of the community, Mayor Collins, former NEON Director Bobby Burgess, Norwalk Preservation Trust President Valle Fay, architectural historian Mimi Findlay, and others. The film offers "unique insights into the challenges of preservation. It brings into play all the community politics, history, aesthetics and economic analyses that are as much a part of preservation as they are a part of life." It has been honored by the Museum of Modern Art, The American Film Festival, The International Festival of Films on Architecture, and the Margaret Mead Film Festival.
Mayor Collins, Mr. Burgess, Mrs. Findley, Frank Fay and others will lead a discussion following the film. After the screening and discussion, everyone is invited to walk down Washington Street to Donovan's, SONO's oldest bar and restaurant, to hear owner Richard Ball's stories of the transformation and join in a Toast to Preservation.
Tickets available at the door. Admission includes one free drink at Donovan's. $20 for the general public and $10 for NPT members. You can join NPT now or at the door.
Awards
Norwalk Preservation Trust presents the Valle Weber Fay Preservation Leadership Awards. For details of our past festivities, see Awards.
Tours
Norwalk Preservation Trust put together "Living History" tours of Norwalk in both 2011 (Historic Homes from 1675 to 1830) and 2012 (Norwalk's 19th-Century Rural Communities). NPT also leads an occasional series of architectural walking tours of the Washington Street Historic District and the Wall Street Historic District in Norwalk.
For details of these tours past, and information about the upcoming 2013 Living History tour, Lost Tracks: Norwalk's Trolley Tour, see Tours.
Workshops
Norwalk Preservation Trust's Your Green Old House workshops are an occasional series. Each workshop is presented by experts in construction and historic preservation who share knowledge and techniques to help historic homeowners preserve and upgrade their homes in an environmentally responsible manner.
For details of our past workshops, see Workshops.
Upcoming Events
Join NPT and/or give us your name and e-mail address to stay informed about upcoming events you might want to attend.