Y for Ye Olde Well

YE OLDE WELL

On July 1, 1933, proprietor Joseph Agranovich opened a new restaurant, dancing hall, and bar in Colchester he named Ye Olde Well. Over 900 people came out that night to drink, eat dinner, and listen to the Robert Montgomery Musical Aces.

The Hartford Courant reported, “This new dining and dancing place, located on the Hartford-New London Road, has been designed to resemble an old English tavern with brightly colored shingles. The dance floor is constructed about an old well from which the place derives its name.  The well is in steady use the water having been tested and approved by the State Department of Health.  Comfortable booths and a large open fireplace add to the attractiveness of the interior.”

By 1936, a 48 foot addition was made to Ye Olde Well which included a stage large enough to accommodate a full orchestra.  Unfortunately in 1938, a fire consumed the building which only left four walls standing.

It appears Ye Olde Well was rebuilt because in the early 1940s Carl Erlacher was the proprietor. On weekend nights there would be dancing and music by bands such as “Danny Wolcak and His Band,” “Tommy White and His Orchestra,” and “Mac Miller and His Rhythm Kings”. The newspaper ran ads for Thanksgiving dinners and New Year’s Eve celebrations that were held at the restaurant. 

Rose and Leroy Duryea became proprietors in the 1950s. It appeared to have a rowdy atmosphere and a few newspaper articles mention the police being called to break up fights between some of the customers. In one tragic incident, a man left after drinking too much and got into a car accident that killed six people.

After a fire broke out in the kitchen in the early 1960s, Ye Olde Well was empty for quite a few years.  In 1967, an ad was posted trying to sell or lease the restaurant without success and the building was torn down. The space it occupied became a parking lot that is currently in the space between “Inishmore” and “Thread and Nail”.

 

“Y for Ye Olde Well” Extra Documentation