Hotel Marcel

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Roundup: Hotel Marcel, Jake Thaw, Staples Sailing …

Posted on May 13, 2024 | 3 comments

“America’s greenest hotel” is in New Haven.

And it was designed by a Westport architect.

Bruce Becker, principal of Becker + Becker, has reimagined the Brutalist former Armstrong Rubber/Pirelli headquarters — visible on the north side of I-95, near the I-91 merge — as the Hotel Marcel.

The zero-emission building has 165 rooms, a 9,000-plus square foot conference center, and full service restaurant.

It has earned both Passive House and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certifications.

Bruce Becker, in front of his new Hotel Marcel. (Photo/Ned Gerard for Connecticut Magazine)

According to a recent CNN story — which gave it that “greenest” designation — the hotel uses 100% renewable electricity for lighting, heating, air conditioning and hot water, thanks to 0ver 1,000 solar panels.

While the exterior remained intact — an environmentally-conscious decision — CNN says Becker and his team “reconceptualized the interior. They used Power over Ethernet lighting, a new, low-voltage technology that uses less power than traditional wiring, which reduced the building’s lighting energy use by more than 30%, says Becker, and installed triple-glazed windows for top-tier insulation.”

Becker’s wife and partner, Kraemer Sims Becker, curated the art collection.

Click here for the full CNN story. Click here for an “06880” story on Becker’s renovation of his 1917 Compo Beach saltbox into a solar paneled, VRF powered zero-energy home.

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In January, in the University of Michigan’s national championship football game, Jake Thaw earned renown for dropping a punt near the goal line — and just as quickly, alertly avoiding a safety that could have cost the Wolverines the title against Alabama.

After earning an NCAA title ring, the 2020 Staples High School graduate (where he starred in both football and basketball) entered the transfer portal. Though a senior in the Ross School of Business, Thaw has 3 years of eligibility remaining. He was a Michigan walk-on.

Thaw — who returned 15 punts for 101 yards last season — will continue his college career at the University of Delaware. (Hat tip: Pete Wolgast)

Jake Thaw

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Speaking of sports: Want to get your car “shipshape”? Or at least clean?

The Staples sailing team will hold a car wash at Kings Highway Elementary School this Saturday (May 18, 9 to noon). There’s a DJ and bake sale too.

All hands will be on deck. it’s a fundraiser for upgrades on equipment.

Staples sailing team.

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Though yesterday was Mother’s Day, every mother knows: A mother’s work is never done.

This mom was busy yesterday, tending her young ones. She did not even have time to stop, as Mary Sikorski snapped her photo for our “Westport … Naturally” feature:

(Photo/Mary Sikorski)

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And finally … in honor of the very green Hotel Marcel (story above), we present the Marcels’ very memorable “Blue Moon”:

(Welcome to another week of “06880” Roundups. As we often do, we present it with a reminder: Your hyper-local blog relies on reader support. Please click here to contribute. Thank you!)

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Posted in Environment, Sports, Staples HS

Tagged Bruce Becker, Hotel Marcel, Jake Thaw, Staples High School sailing team

Roundup: Iain And Linda Bruce, Hotel Marcel, Bayberry Bridge …

Posted on April 24, 2022 | 4 comments

Dozens of Iain and Linda Bruce’s many friends, colleagues and fellow civic volunteers gathered at the Westport Library last night to say thanks and farewell.

After 33 years in Westport — and countless contributions in all areas of town life, from the Westport Weston Family Y and Library to music, schools, religion and RTM — the couple are moving at the end of this week.

They head to York, Maine where they’ve had a second home for years. They’ll jump right into community activities there (and Iain will pursue a master’s in history at his alma mater, Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario).

Iain and Linda have made Westport a much better place. Our loss is Maine’s gain. Thank you both. And of course, we look forward to seeing you whenever you want to head south.

Iain Bruce — always proud of his Scottish heritage — wore a kilt at last night’s event. His wife Linda shared the stage, as both made very brief remarks. (Photo/Dan Woog)

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Every I-95 driver knows the former Armstrong Rubber/Pirelli headquarters in New Haven. That’s Marcel Breuer’s 1960s-era concrete box on the left as you head north, just before the I-91 merge.

It was vacant for quite a while. But 3 years ago, Westport architect/developer Bruce Becker bought the Brutalist building.

After extensive renovations, this spring he’ll open the Hotel Marcel. The 165-room boutique hotel runs generates and manages all its own power, thanks to solar panels, storage batteries and state-of-the-art energy-saving technologies.

It’s called the first zero-net-energy hotel in the U.S.

Connecticut Magazine has published an in-depth, fascinating story on Becker, and the hotel.

It quotes architect Duo Dickinson: “Bruce Becker is changing architecture more than any other practitioner in New England and perhaps America.”

The story notes: “a structure created a half-century ago by an innovative designer (Marcel Breuer) is returned to vibrant life by another innovative designer bent on changing the way we think about energy, built environments and our future.” Click here for the full story. And click here for an “06880” on Becker’s zero-energy Westport home. (Hat tip: Dennis Jackson)

PS: One more Westport connection: Saugatuck’s LANDTECH is the Hotel Marcel’s site/civil engineer.

Bruce Becker, in front of his new Hotel Marcel. (Photo/Ned Gerard for Connecticut Magazine)

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They’re not big news. But a couple of agenda items for the next Parks & Recreation Commission meeting (Wednesday, April 27, 7:30 p.m., Zoom) seem interesting.

Commissioners will be asked to disband the Levitt Pavilion sub-committee. The agenda says: “As part of her review of the Town’s various sub-committees, the First Selectwoman has decided that she would like the Levitt Pavilion committee to report directly to her office. In order to do so, the sub-committee of the Parks and Recreation Commission must be disbanded.”

More impactful may be a proposed moratorium on bench donations.

According to the agenda: “Many of our beach and park facilities are over-saturated with memorial benches. Staff are presently reviewing the current policy while we also work to create standards that will be used going forward for any new installations.

“Until we have more detailed information that we can provide to the Commission, we request a moratorium be placed on all new bench requests until further notice.”

Click here for the full agenda, and meeting information.

Compo Beach memorial benches (Photo/Anne Ziff)

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The Bayberry Lane Bridge over the Aspetuck River will be closed for construction. The project starts Thursday, and is slated to run through November 30 (fingers crossed)

So that means — according to the sign below — Bayberry Lane #2 is closed.

There’s just one problem. There is no road called “Bayberry Lane #2.”

In fact, there’s not any road in Westport ending in “#2.”

Or probably anywhere else in the country. (Hat tip: Bill Dedman)

(Photo/Bill Dedman)

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Yesterday’s post-Easter and pre-Arbor Day festivities at Jesup Green included egg hunting and a tree giveaway.

Bartlett Tree Experts donated red maple saplings. Westport Tree Board members handled the rest.

Westport Tree Board members on the left are Dave Lowrie and Dick Stein. Ed Picard is on the right.

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lotsa lotsa kids egg hunting! Here’s a pic of some interested neighbors acquiring a red maple sapling, donated by Bartlett Tree Co. (sorry didn’t know the pic was being taken so didn’t get their names.) Tree board members left to right are; yours truly, Dick Stein and Ed Picard far right

Congratulations and thanks to the Westport Police Department, Westport Womans Club, Sunrise Rotary and Homes with Hope, for collaborating on yesterday’s food drive at Stop & Shop.

Thanks too to all who donated, to support the Gillespie Center food pantry, and Westport Human Services.