One of my favorite and lasting memories from the former Nimrod was more recent in the building’s storied history. Not long after Donna and I met, we attended a fundraiser for a local charity there. Former owner Jim Murray was (and is) a wonderful corporate citizen, always lending his talents and his facility to support local organizations.
While we were there, one of Falmouth’s most-treasured citizens and premier tickler-of-the-ivories, John Salerno, was plying his craft, making music and smiles for a gaggle of enthusiasts. I can proudly count myself among the many “Salerno groupies” who still proudly exist in our midst. We sidled up to the piano and, as he often does, John immediately began playing the opening bars of “Sweet Caroline,” knowing that I’d break into song. Of course, I did. Before long, the entire place joined in during the “so good!” refrain and dozens of people were joining together in laughter and music, two of life’s great connectors.
That scene (with friends and patrons joining in song, not necessarily of me singing) of people sharing life’s great connectors was repeated hundreds, perhaps thousands of times over the history of this Falmouth landmark. Generations of Falmouthites have made music and memories at the Nimrod while leaning on the piano, sitting at the bar or enjoying a fireside meal.
Now comes the news that the building itself, its once stately presence now tired and dilapidated, will soon be torn down. We may see the razing of the structure, but it will not impact the raising of the spirits of those who cherish their Nimrod memories. The recent vote of the planning board to allow for the demolition of the original home and the associated structures that have been added over the years will allow for a new, updated building that will honor the Nimrod’s history with a design that will closely resemble what many remember of the building during its useful period.
The new plan will also offer commercial space and some much-needed, year-round rentals. In short, what is proposed is a far better use of the property than the current unsafe and deteriorated structure, and the building improvements will breathe a new life into this local landmark, allowing visitors and passersby to still delight in their memories. An additional vote by the historical commission to waive the provisions of the demolition delay bylaw to allow the project to proceed is pending. They will hopefully follow the planning board’s lead and allow for a new chapter of the site’s history to be written.
When I became curious about the status of the project, I simply sought out the current owner, Lionel Pinsonneault, and had a conversation with him. I walked away from that meeting with a strong sense of a developer who has a commitment to the community, who honors its history, and who plans to continue to be part of the community for the foreseeable future. The latter of those three impressions is perhaps the most important. What he does with the Nimrod will reflect on him and his business for a very long time. He understands that. He embraces that. He took the time to show me the plans and offered to use some of the artifacts from the current Nimrod in the new building. He is fully committed to a successful project and to being a successful steward of the site. He’s from here and is staying here. You can’t place a value on that commitment to the community.
Falmouth is a special place enriched by an ongoing patchwork of stories, people, and places woven into the soul of our community. Some of those places, like Highfield Hall and the Edward Marks House, are preserved as symbols of that history and that patchwork. Some of those people and places are no longer with us, but their value to that patchwork remains. There is an old Native American phrase that I often quote in my own storytelling: People die twice. Once when they take their last breath, and once when their name is uttered for the final time. It is therefore our duty to keep the people and places who have gone before us vibrant and alive by continuing to share our memories. Those memories, like mine with John Salerno, are the real and lasting history of the Nimrod.
The improvements that Lionel Pinsonneault has agreed to make to the Nimrod will honor the history and the architecture of the site and also allow for a safer, more modern facility. That’s a win-win that honors the past but plans for the future.
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March 13, 2020 at 11:00AM
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Memories: The Real And Lasting Legacy Of The Cherished Nimrod - CapeNews.net
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