To the Editor:
We are the team behind Twelve Gods Brewery & Restaurant and the proposed Georgetown Heritage Brewing Center, and we are writing directly to the residents of Wilton and Georgetown because the ongoing discussion about the Gilbert & Bennett Schoolhouse will shape the community for decades. The future of the Gilbert & Bennett Building is not just a conversation about what a historic structure could be someday. It is a question of whether we take action while we still have real choices, or whether we allow deliberate delay and constant deterioration to force a truly unwanted outcome on the community in Georgetown.
We have all seen how these projects can go in Georgetown, Wilton and other towns across Connecticut. Interest flares up, ideas circulate, and then nothing materializes. The excitement fades, the timeline stretches, and the site becomes harder and more expensive to save. The community ends up stuck in the same place, except that the building is in worse shape than before and the next attempt becomes even less realistic. That cycle is exactly what we are trying to avoid.
For years, the G&B property has attracted concepts and conversations, but not a viable, funded plan that takes responsibility for rehabilitation and stewardship. Anyone can picture what it could be, but imagining a possible future does not stop water intrusion, prevent structural deterioration, or reduce the cost of restoration. What has been missing is real capital and a committed team willing to do the work and carry the risk. We are here with both, and we are here now.
As this conversation drags on, the building continues to decay. Each season that passes adds cost, complexity and uncertainty. The effect of time is not neutral at the G&B Schoolhouse. A prolonged process does not preserve options — it narrows them. A prolonged process makes preservation more expensive and less feasible, and it increases the odds that serious interest fades, including our own. This is not an attempt to force an outcome, but it is the reality of how challenging projects can die and how inaction speeds the inevitable. If this becomes another prolonged process without decisions, we could all end up right back at square one, with a more damaged building and fewer viable paths forward.
Our proposal is rooted in stewardship and in balance. We are prepared to rehabilitate and preserve the G&B Building through private investment and to pair that restoration with meaningful land preservation via the Wilton Land Trust. We want to create a community-oriented destination through Twelve Gods Brewery & Restaurant, alongside the Georgetown Heritage Brewing Center, that is welcoming, family friendly, and thoughtfully managed. The Heritage Brewing Center is a core part of the vision, not an accessory. In collaboration with the Wilton Historical Society and other organizations, it is designed to honor Georgetown’s industrial and brewing history through exhibits, storytelling, demonstrations, and community programming, so the site becomes a place to gather and learn, not just a place to eat and drink.
Just as important, this plan is not only about what happens inside the building, but also about what happens outside of it and what our community preserves for the long term. We want residents to be able to take advantage of the beautiful landscape around this site in a tangible, everyday way. Picture protected green space that stays protected, with improved trails and walkways that encourage people to walk, meet neighbors, and spend time outdoors. Picture a community garden that becomes a shared point of pride, a place where families can grow food, teach their kids, and feel more connected to the land. Picture children of all ages sledding down the vast hillside in the winter. These are the kinds of quality-of-life benefits that matter, and they are part of what makes this proposal different: it preserves history while strengthening the daily experience of living here.
We also need to be honest about what happens if this opportunity slips away. The alternative is not a quiet future where the building simply waits for the perfect idea. The more realistic future, especially as the building deteriorates and public patience wears thin, starts to look bleak. A boarded-up landmark that continues to crumble and years of further decay. Then a tipping point where the only proposals that “work” financially are the ones that maximize buildout and minimize sensitivity to neighborhood character. That is when major developers move in, and the community loses the ability to shape a balanced outcome. Once that happens, it is not reversible.
We welcome questions and we respect differing opinions. But we are asking the community to weigh what is real and what is at risk. A viable plan with committed investment, a preservation outcome, and land protection that residents can enjoy is on the table now. If we let this moment pass, we may find ourselves, years from now, wishing we had acted when we still had choices, instead of inheriting a future we never wanted.
Sincerely,
Sakis Panolis, Demetris Papanikolaou and Rafael Rodriguez
The Team at Twelve Gods Brewery & Restaurant
and the Georgetown Heritage Brewing Center