People named John Wronowski

Address: PO Box 33, New London, CT, 06320-0033 (1996) [147 Oakland Dr, Montville, CT, 06353] [2 Ferry PO Box St 791, New London, CT, 06320] [32 Orchard Dr, Uncasville, CT, 06382-2230 (1993)] --------------------------------------------------------------- FAMILY WINS HISTORIC SHIPYARD By TRACIE ROZHON Published: March 29, 1981 FACEBOOK TWITTER GOOGLE+ EMAIL SHARE PRINT REPRINTS NEW LONDON AFTER 14 years of fighting the city redevelopment agency, the Federal General Services Administration and the United States Coast Guard, it looks as if the Wronowskis will finally have a boatyard. John H. and John P. Wronowski, father and son, have been told they can buy the Thames Shipyard here, more than five acres of waterfront land dotted with crumbling brick buildings, antiquated marine railroads, rotting drydocks and thousands of old iron boat parts. They plan to turn the shipyard, built in 1900 by a local coal dealer and tugboat operator, into the largest private boatyard in Connecticut and one of the largest in New England. They hope to bid on - and win - Navy and Coast Guard contracts, and to continue their already well-established boat-repair business. According to the G.S.A., the Wronowskis' bid of $600,000 has been accepted. As soon as the necessary paperwork is complete, they will receive a deed to the land, about 10 miles north of the center of New London on the Thames River. Mr. Wronowski and his family own several ferry companies and a boat building and repairing business, with headquarters in a huge brick warehouse in the middle of New London. And, after laughing about the decrepit condition of the yard, and the battle to win it, he happily said that the property, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, is ''priceless.'' One of the last obstacles the Wronowskis were faced with was a coalition of local businessmen, backed by the New London Redevelopment Agency, who wanted to use low-interest Federal loans and city redevelopment funds to turn the shipyard into a $10 million marina, complete with luxury apartments. The project was to be called ''Thamesport.'' Because the shipyard is on the National Register, its uses are restricted, but landmark status also provides benefits - low-interest loans and grants for ''adaptive use'': renovations that maintain the outside structure. In this way, old factories have been made into apartments and boutiques, and outmoded city halls have been transformed to modern office buildings. But the Wronowskis say they will have no Federal money - no matter how cheap the cost. ''We dislike the Federal Government,'' said John P. Wronowski, a 32-year-old graduate of the California Institute of Technology. ''We've never used any Federal funds. It's just not our way of doing business. My father is totally independent. We prefer to do things with our own money. It may take longer, but nobody is watching over your shoulder.'' The Wronowskis have been wrangling with the Government since 1969. Two years earlier, in 1967, Lawrence Chappell Jr., whose family had maintained the shipyard since it was built, decided to turn it over to someone else. The Chappells had built the yard to repair and build tugboats, which they needed to haul their coal. The Wronowskis, who wanted a place to build a new ferry for the Block Island run, agreed to lease the place for two years. At the end of that time, Mr. Chappell sold the property to the Coast Guard Academy, which abuts the shipyard. The Coast Guard had no immediate plans for the property - but some eventual ones - and they continued to lease to the Wronowskis. At first, the Academy leased it on a yearly basis. This was shortened to a month-by-month arrangement, as the Academy moved closer to obtaining money to build a research and development center, as well as a new Coast Guard station for the New London area. Then, in 1975, a group of preservationists from Washington toured the shipyard. According to John P. Wronowski, one of the men told him the yard was a ''sure thing'' for the National Register. He was right; besides being a complete survival of a turn-of-the-century shipyard, the Thames shipyard also has one of the country's three operating steam-generated marine railways. The designation nullified the Coast Guard's plans. ''What they wanted was to come in with a big bulldozer, fill in and build what they wanted,'' said the younger Wronowski. The Academy's chief spokesman, Lieut. Neil Ruenzel, said in an interview last week that the Academy was ''not interested in maintaining the property.'' The Coast Guard, Lieutenant Ruenzel continued, has chosen not to respond to the Wronowskis' statements. ''We don't feel there's any positive purpose in getting into a sparring situation with them. He's purchased the property - it's his now - and he can go ahead and build his $10 million shipyard.'' After the historic designation was made in 1975, the Coast Guard held on to the property. ''It was obvious to us that they were sitting back, letting the place deteriorate,'' Mr. Wronowski said, ''hoping the historical people would just give up. In the 10 or 12 years we leased from them, we paid them about $300,000 in rent - and they never reinvested a dime in maintenance.'' From 1975 until a month ago, when they were told they could buy the land, the Wronowskis were threatened, they said, with eviction and served papers ''three or four times.'' But each time, they successfully fought the notices. ''Somewhere around 1979, one of the roofs of the building became so deteriorated the top section opened up,'' the younger Wronowski said. ''That was in the fall, and it looked like in the winter, if there was any snow, it would certainly collapse.'' He said they contacted the Connecticut Historical Commission, which then pressured the Federal Government to have the Coast Guard make repairs, and the roof was fixed. A year ago, the Coast Guard decided to sell - but only 3.9 acres, which the Wronowskis say would not have allowed them space to build and store boats. After negotiations, the size was raised to 5.6 acres, and the land was turned over to the G.S.A. On Feb. 17, there was an auction - the marina developers had dropped out - and there was only one other bidder, a man from Detroit. The Wronowskis bid $300,000 and were the top bidders. But the G.S.A. decided to throw out the bids and renegotiate. They finally agreed on $600,000 - double the high bid in the auction. ''It was 13 years of biting our nails,'' said John P. Wronowski. ''We really got something here,'' added his father. ''We hung in there. If we'd gotten it 10 years ago, we'd probably have 500 men working here now, without a doubt. There's a lot of work to be done. The Navy wants tugs, patrol crafts. the Coast Guard wants 45-footers. As long as you can go up against competition and offer a better product, you're bound to win.'' Illustrations: Photo of John and Paul Wronowski Photo of a shipyard

John Wronowski of Skokie, Cook County, Illinois was born on May 19, 1893, and died at age 86 years old in November 1979.

John Wronowski was born on November 25, 1917, and died at age 48 years old in June 1966. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John Wronowski.

John H Wronowski of Uncasville, New London County, CT was born on June 9, 1909, and was the father of John Peter Wronowski. John Wronowski died at age 87 years old on April 15, 1997.