JUST FACTS: 

• Located within Bridgeport's West End area, 

Went Field was once the site of Barnum 

Circus' winter quarters, housing a variety of 

circus animals. 

printing and engraving company and a 

metal extrusion facility. 

• Funding from EPA's $200,000 Assessment 

Demonstration Pilot and $75,000 from EPA's 

Targeted Brownfields Assessment Program 

were used to assess Went Field, revealing 

Toluene and chlorinated solvents in the 

groundwater. 

• Funding for the $4.4 million cleanup and 

redevelopment of Went Field was leveraged 

from the U.S. Department of Housing and 

Urban Development, the National Park 

Service, the state, city bond funds, and 

community fundraising. 

Went Field Brings New 

Hope to Impoverished 

Community 

Bridgeport, Connecticut 

continued �

I mpoverished residents of the West End area in Bridgeport, 

Connecticut, can finally enjoy safe greenspace following the 

restoration and expansion of the 10-acre Went Field. 

once crime ridden has been transformed, through the cleanup of two 

brownfields, into a multi-use community recreation park adjacent to the 

local elementary and high schools. 

this project a success. 

Bridgeport began suffering severe economic decline in the 1960s, brought 

on in part by the departure of vital industry and the abandonment and 

perceived contamination of former industrial sites. 

population of 130,000, Bridgeport was estimated to contain as many as 

400 brownfields. 

continued financial deterioration, Bridgeport had become one of the 

poorest yet most highly taxed cities in the nation. 

the West End area were among the poorest in the city, with an average 

annual income of $15,000 and a 70 percent minority rate. 

1990's, a turnaround has been stimulated in the area by creating 

reinvestment in new industrial sites and rebuilding its neighborhoods. 

Located within the West End area, Went Field was once the site of 

Barnum Circus' winter quarters, housing a variety of circus animals. 

was later used by smaller businesses, including Exmet, a former metal 

extrusion company, and Swan Engraving, a former printing company. 

Funding from EPA's $200,000 Assessment Demonstration Pilot was used 

to assess the sites, with an additional $75,000 from EPA's Targeted 

Brownfields Assessment Program used on the Swan Engraving property. 

Toluene and chlorinated solvents were found in the groundwater; they 

are still being monitored to ensure that degradation continues and there is 

no exposure. 

redevelopment, with additional funding leveraged from the U.S. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Park 

Service, the State of Connecticut's Departments of Environmental 

Protection and Community Development, city bond funds, and community 

fundraising. 

Before the project began, Went Field was considered an extremely 

dangerous area, with abandoned buildings for drug dealers to hide in and 

minimal police protection. 

space in the neighborhood, residents were too fearful to let their children 

play there. 

Went Field was once 

considered an extremely dangerous 

area, with abandoned buildings for drug 

dealers to hide in and minimal police 

protection. 

available open space in the neighborhood, 

residents were too fearful to let their children 

play there. Today, Went Field is a 10-acre, 

multi-use recreational park used by the 

community and nearby schools. 

A view of Went Field, prior to cleanup 

and redevelopment 

THE 

It was later home to a 

An area that was 

The entire community helped to make 

With a relatively small 

Coming close to bankruptcy in 1990 due to its 

The 39,000 residents of 

Since the 

It 

The entire project cost $4.4 million for cleanup and 

Although the park was the only available open 

It became evident at the first community meeting that crime 

Although the park was the only 
CONTACTS: 

For more information contact 

U.S. EPA-REGION 1 

(617) 918-1424 

Visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: 

http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ 

prevention was the priority issue for residents and would need to be resolved before 

progressing with the site's restoration. 

meetings within the first year that led to a significantly decreased local crime 

problem; trust between the police and residents was rebuilt as a police 

substation was established in the West End and block watches began. 

Abandoned buildings were demolished and the former Barnum firehouse was 

converted into a maintenance facility for the Parks department. 

The community support generated by the Went Field project is one of its 

greatest successes. 

Howe Elementary School and Bassick High School, municipal planning, police, 

and park departments, and non-profits like ASPIRA (an organization that 

supports Latino youth) and Groundwork Bridgeport (an organization that 

supports local redevelopment projects) were among the stakeholders involved. 

The process included public safety and update meetings, publicity events, design 

charettes, and the development of a consensus plan. 

continued beyond the Went Field project with the creation of the Park City Brownfields 

Redevelopment Partnership, a group that works on other difficult brownfield projects throughout the 

city. Tito Molino, of the West End Community Development Council, expressed the importance of 

community involvement. 

some input and control on a project like this, that is planting a seed for ownership in the future." 

Through the dedication of the community and funding partners, Went Field has been transformed into 

a 10-acre, multi-use recreational park. 

practice fields for football and soccer, track and field elements, a volleyball court, a fenced 

playground, a pavilion, and an amphitheater. 

area and Bassick High School has athletic practice fields for the first time. 

bustling with residents, and is often the location for community events. 

The Went Field project has brought new hope to the West End area by significantly decreasing crime, 

providing recreation space, and engaging the community in revitalization projects. 

also represents a broader effort to transform the entire area into renewed 

neighborhood and industrial uses. 

Bridgeport, the West End Community Development Council, and local 

businesses, local brownfields continue to be redeveloped for 

neighborhood revitalization and manufacturing reuse, providing jobs 

and revenue for the area. 

The new playground area of the cleaned 

and redeveloped Went Field 

The community held several public safety 

Local residents, representatives from adjacent Elias 

The community's dedication 

"It is a sense of community pride," Molino said. "If people feel they have 

It contains four basketball courts, three softball fields, 

Elias Howe Elementary School now has a recreation 

The park is always 

The project 

Through the support of the City of 

Brownfields Success Story Solid Waste EPA 500-F-00-254 

West End Bridgeport and Emergency March 2004 

Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/