NORWICH — An iconic and vacant building in downtown Norwich will soon become a place of worship, as a new church signed a lease in late November to use part of the building at 4 Broadway.

The historic building, across Main Street from the Norwich Superior Court, has been vacant for several years, since People’s United Bank closed its branch there in 2013. City Historian Dale Plummer said the building, originally home to Norwich Savings Society, was constructed in 1894. The building was purchased in 2017 by Trinicap Properties of Falmouth, Mass.

Pastor Adam Bowles, of Lisbon, said he signed a lease in November for 6,000 square feet of space on the building’s first floor, and began demolition work to the former bank building shortly thereafter. He said the goal is to complete the renovations to the space in two to three months, and hopes to begin holding church services there in early spring. He said the church will be non-denominational.

“For me, this was a strategic place,’ Bowles said. “I wasn’t looking for a church with a steeple, I wanted a central place where people could come and explore their faith.”

Bowles previously was one of five pastors at International Church Norwich on Boswell Avenue. He said that church is closing operations, and the building will be sold to another church group. Bowles said he will be the sole pastor of the new church, named Castle Church, and it will not be a direct replacement of International Church Norwich. Bowles said despite that, most of the parishioners from the old church are expected to follow him to the new location on Broadway.

“The church decided to come together and make this happen,” Bowles said.

Bowles said he expects Castle Church to attract younger parishioners to his services.

“At our church, a lot of young people are coming,” Bowles said. “It’s also a very ethnically diverse group.”

Once constructed, the lower area of the first floor will serve as the church's sanctuary, where services will be held. That area will seat 225 to 250 parishioners. On the upper part of the church, just a few steps up from the sanctuary will serve as the fellowship hall — a place where parishioners can gather, hold meetings and small events.

Bowles said while he has a few other roles in the community — he serves as a police chaplain in Norwich, teaches a course at Three Rivers Community College and does some freelance media work — the church is his full-time responsibility.

Bowles said the church has already incorporated with the State of Connecticut, giving it tax-exempt status. He said he will also be filing for 501(c)(3) status as well.

While the church itself will be protected from tax liability, Mayor Peter Nystrom said because the space is being leased, the building will remain on the city’s property tax rolls.



Nystrom said he viewed the new church downtown as a positive thing for the city, and said having 200 or so people coming to Broadway each Sunday can bring vibrancy to the downtown area.



“We are trying to build critical mass downtown, it’s a positive thing,” Nystrom said. “That is a group of people that actively seeks to engage with the community.”



To that end, Bowles said the new church will not have a commercial kitchen, so for community events, the church will rely on local restaurants in the downtown area for catering.

Plummer said it's a positive sign to have an occupant in such a historically important building in Norwich's cityscape.

"It's certainly much better to have it occupied than vacant," Plummer said. "When a building is abandoned, it often falls into disrepair."

Plummer added: "I hope the new tenants respect the historical and architectural value of the building."