Worcester Business Journal

50 Worcester Business Journal | October 28, 2024 | wbjournal.com Member FDIC Member DIF Simply Be er. BANKING BUILT FOR YOUR BUSINESS Tailored solutions to drive your success! Commercial Loans, Cash Management, Deposit Accounts, Digital Banking and More! Call our experienced lenders at 800-649-3036 or email us at commercial@saversbank.com. Learn more about business banking at saversbank.com/business-banking or scan the QR code. WBJ 35th Anniversary standpoint, Manzi said. When he started at Fidelity in the late 1990s, there were more than 12,000 banks in the United States, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Now, that number is about 4,000. Combining with Cape Cod 5 allows Fidelity to remain competitive while keeping its focus on the community, which is its bread and butter, Manzi said. A sight for sore eyes It's impossible to miss the giant eyeglass statue in front of the brick clock tower just beyond downtown Southbridge. e small industrial city was the original home of American Optical Company, a pioneering glasses manufacturer founded in the mid- 19th century. By the 1890s, American Optical was the largest optical company in the world. Workers craed goggles for military pilots, according to the company's website, and invented the aviator, a practical style of eyewear that evolved into a persistent fashion trend. e company was also the favored eyewear brand of President John F. Kennedy, who visited the sprawling Southbridge facility in 1958. American Optical closed its Southbridge glass manufacturing plant in 1979, and the last lens produced in town was made in 2005, according to the Optical Heritage Museum. Its corporate headquarters moved to San Diego, California, in 1997. e company, plus still-operating manufacturers like Dexter Russell and Hyde Tools, created quite the vibrant community in Southbridge back in the day, said Margaret Morrissey, library director of the town's Jacob Edwards Library. "On ursday evenings, people would walk out and about downtown. And now, sadly we don't have very many people in town, and it's a different world now," Morrissey said. Morrissey arrived in Southbridge from her native Ireland in the late 1980s, she said. Back then, the community was still reeling from the shock of losing one of its biggest points of pride. Stories of "the AO," as people call the optical company, are still prevalent in Southbridge to this day, Morrissey said. "Everybody has a connection to the AO. at's why it's still a vibrant topic of conversation in the community, even though generations have now grown up without seeing AO in operation," she said. "ere was a Christmas party for children that was apparently spectacular. ose children are now people I talked to, and they're still starry-eyed about how wonderful it was." Moving into the future e former AO headquarters is getting a 21st-century makeover. Spearheaded by local developer Charles "Chip" Norton Jr., the historic structure will eventually be a mixture of affordable residential, manufacturing and office space. Its 1.2 million square feet are about half developed so far, Norton said. e future production facility is just under 200,00 square feet, and the residential component will have 266 units. e property was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places, he said. "What that allows you to do is access federal and state tax credits to offset development, and that's very important for the residential project," said Norton, president and owner of Franklin Realty Advisors in Wellesley Hills. Continued from previous page By the 1890s, American Optical was the largest optical company in the world.

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