Bridgeport Battles Back

Bridgeport Battles Back
We have all looked around Bridgeport and seen the run-down and abandoned buildings, the shabby looking streets, and decrepit Victorian homes. But Bridgeport was not always that way. At one time, Bridgeport was the home to numerous manufacturing industries, including the Frisbie Pie Company, which served as the inspiration for the toy Frisbee.
Like Madonna, the Park City, has re-invented itself time and time again. Bridgeport’s many faces have included a small farm town, a war ammunition production center, a seaport, railway depot, and now Connecticut’s largest city. Bridgeport is once again changing its face. It is undergoing a major downtown revitalization project. The city is saying goodbye to its heavy industrial past and saying hello to a professional, service, and retail future, by converting its old factories into modern retail centers and housing complexes.
The changes are apparent when one looks around Bridgeport. Harbor Yard Arena and Stadium, where many U.B. activities are held, was once the home of a major manufacturing company. Seaside Park has undergone an extensive clean-up project, the majority of the main streets have all been overhauled with new lighting and sidewalks, the transportation center is being re-vamped and enlarged, the never ending I-95 improvements continue, and the most talked about, are the two loft developments. The Lofts on Lafayette, a block up from
UB, and the Sterling Market lofts, once Reads Department Store, are soon to be the home of numerous artists and their families. Both will have all the conveniences of the 21st century and also house retail venues, while maintaining its vintage charm.
Throughout its history, Bridgeport has battled back from economic ruin, corruption, and crime and is once again battling and winning. With numerous other redevelopment projects under way and being proposed, Bridgeport is bound to come out on top.