SHELTON – Thirty-five years ago, the Boys and Girls Club on Howe Avenue burnt to the ground in a four-alarm fire – then, four days later, the club reopened just around the corner.
The club is now preparing to mark its 70th anniversary with a documentary recounting the history of the 1991 fire, and how members came together to continue offering a safe place for kids in the immediate days after.
“The leadership of the board at that time instantly got together, and you’ll see that as part of the documentary: that they came together with one mission,” said executive director Shaye Roscoe. “We lost a building, but technically, we didn’t lose the Boys and Girls Club. We can form a Boys and Girls club anywhere.”
The documentary, “The Rise of the Phoenix: From Ashes to Impact,” is scheduled to air at a free 5:30 p.m. screening at the Raymond P. Lavietes Clubhouse (1 Positive Place) Oct. 22. Click here for more information and advance registration.
On April 11, 1991, shortly before closing time, a fire worked its way across the third floor of the former clubhouse, before spreading to the rest of the building and rocketing up through the roof. Firefighters battled the inferno throughout the night and into the next morning. The approximately 30 people inside the building at the time of the fire all managed to escape safely, according to news reports from the time.
When it was all over, the only injuries were minor ones sustained by firefighters – but more than $1 million in damage was done and the building was left a shell. Two days after the fire, club leaders assembled at the Riverside Funeral Home to discuss their next steps.
What followed was a decade-long recovery process which raised about $4.5 million and culminated in the opening of the Lavietes Clubhouse in a former factory in 2000. Throughout the recovery, the club kept its doors open by operating out of locations including the former St. Joseph’s School on Coram Avenue.
In the new documentary, that history will be remembered through the lenses of people who remember the fire and the rebuilding process afterward. Narrated by Mikey Cotela, Jr., who was a member of the club at the time of the fire and formerly directed the Joel E. Smilow Clubhouse in Ansonia, the documentary includes interviews with club members and leaders.
Among the leaders at the time was executive director Jack Ribas, who served in the role from 1978 until his retirement in 2012. Roscoe credits Ribas with leading the recovery throughout the 1990s.
“The heart of the Boys and Girls Club continues on today. And for me, I think it is because of the leadership that led us to this point, which we want to honor and thank, and then keep that memory alive,” Roscoe said.
Roscoe said the idea for the documentary came about a year ago, during a board meeting at Munch Eatery, where Cotela works.
“He talked about the fire and how it was just such a pivotal time of our organization,” Roscoe said.
With the club’s 70th anniversary just around the corner, Roscoe said it was a no-brainer to use the opportunity to remember that moment in history.
“While people are still with us – because we’ve lost a few along the way – we should do something about that,” she said.
After rallying other past and present members of the board, they brought on as filmmaker J. Clayton Winters, a New York-based creator who works with nonprofits on film projects. Roscoe, who joined the club as an intern in 1999 before working her way up to executive director, said the filmmaking process was also an opportunity for herself to learn more of the club’s history.
She said she remembers joining just as the finishing touches were being put on the Lavietes clubhouse before it opened.
“The building was beautiful, gorgeous, very well-done. And I haven’t left since,” she said.
You can view a trailer for the documentary by clicking the “Play” button on the video below.
During the screening, the club will also recognize Ribas, Shelton Fire Marshal James “Chic” Tortora, the Shelton Echo Fire Hose Hook & Ladder Co. 1, and Mayor Mark Lauretti for “their role in a pivotal moment in the Club’s history and their unwavering commitment to the community’s youth.”
Click here for free tickets and directions to the clubhouse.