History

Noank Baptist Church formed a committee to investigate the possibility of privately sponsoring specialized housing for senior citizens, which would be constructed using government funding.

Union Baptist Church joined the committee, and Mystic River Homes was organized as a Connecticut non-stock corporation, with Noank Baptist Church and Union Baptist Church each providing half of the Board of Directors.

The search for a suitable site began, facing many obstacles such as local opposition, various commissions, changes in federal funding programs, and denial of local funding, which taxed the limited resources of the corporation. The proposed site on Irving Street in Mystic was dropped after public objections and denial by the Groton Zoning Commission. Instead, an approximately 24-acre site behind Elm Street and Tryon Avenue in Noank was purchased in 1971. The search for funding continued.

New Samaritan, Inc., under the United Church of Christ in Connecticut, initiated contact with the Farmers’ Home Administration of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a loan commitment. Based on the loan amount, the decision was made to reduce the number of units from 144 to 48. Planning for the remaining units was put on hold until financing could be secured. The Noank Zoning Commission approved the project in November 1975. George C. Hyde was engaged as the project architect, and ground-breaking ceremonies were held on December 21, 1975.

Plans and specifications were put out for bid, and Pine Associates, Inc., of Farmington, CT, was awarded the contract. The contract was signed on January 24, 1977. Work began, but significant issues with rock ledge at the site and funding problems led to work stoppages, resulting in a delay of over two years.

A supplemental loan was secured to allow for project completion. The Town of Groton issued a temporary Certificate of Occupancy on January 9, 1979, and doors opened on February 2, 1979, for the 46-unit complex known as “The Cottages.” The complex was dedicated in May 1979, and the final Certificate of Occupancy was issued in 1981.

Planning for the second phase of construction was undertaken. Bids for building the 50-unit apartment building known as ‘The Congregate’ were solicited in July 1990. Financing was secured through Connecticut state bond issues administered by the state Department of Housing. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Wednesday, September 12, 1990. The architect for the building was Jeter, Cook & Jepson Architects, Inc., and the builder was Barr Inc.

Supplemental funding was obtained to cover the costs of construction change orders due to the need to blast and remove large sections of ledge. The building was completed in 1991 and dedicated on Wednesday, March 25, 1992.