Middletown Mayor: Andre Drummond Hasn’t Contacted City About Theater

This blog post breaks down the latest buzz around former UConn star Andre Drummond’s hints about buying and redeveloping the closed Metro Movies multiplex in downtown Middletown. We’ll touch on who’s involved, what shape the site’s in, and how this could ripple across Connecticut’s redevelopment scene—even beyond Middletown.

Redevelopment in Middletown: what we know so far

Andre Drummond, once a standout at UConn and now an NBA veteran, posted publicly on Facebook about wanting to purchase and revamp the Metro Movies multiplex at Metro Square. The theater, which has 12 screens and covers about 36,806 square feet, sits at the corner of Dingwall Drive and deKoven Drive.

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Metro Square LLC owns the property, with Lawrence W. Goichman of Stamford-based SCG Capital at the helm. So far, Drummond’s team hasn’t put out any official statements, and Middletown officials say they haven’t heard directly from him yet.

The theater shut down earlier this year after promotions and concessions just couldn’t keep it afloat. Before it became a cinema in 1999, the building was a ShopRite grocery store.

Goichman had tried to bring in another supermarket, but that plan fizzled out. As Drummond’s comments started making waves, Middletown Mayor Gene Nocera—who actually remembers Drummond from his middle school days—said a local redevelopment “wouldn’t surprise me.”

Drummond turns 33 this August and has played for the Pistons, Cavaliers, Lakers, Nets, and Bulls. He also founded Special Teams Real Estate, a Greenwich-based company launched in 2024 that focuses on adaptive-reuse projects.

The company’s website doesn’t list any properties yet, but the whole idea fits with Connecticut’s growing trend of repurposing older buildings in city centers. Drummond and his reps didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment. Goichman didn’t return calls either.

CT towns in play: a regional redevelopment narrative

Middletown’s situation sits right at the crossroads of local projects and bigger regional shifts. If Drummond’s plan moves forward, it might influence how other Connecticut towns tackle aging downtowns and old cinema sites.

This kind of redevelopment wouldn’t just matter for Middletown. Towns from Stamford and Greenwich in Fairfield County to New Haven, Bridgeport, and Norwalk along the coast, plus Hartford, Waterbury, and Danbury further inland, could all take notes. Metro Square’s spot near downtown Middletown might even draw attention from neighboring towns like Bristol, Meriden, and Cheshire, where leaders keep an eye on similar properties.

Regional players to watch

Middletown — the city and site would handle local approvals and incentives.
Stamford — home turf for Drummond’s private equity firm, Special Teams Real Estate.
Greenwich — where the firm is based and a hot spot for private adaptive-reuse investment.
New Haven, Bridgeport, and Norwalk — regional heavyweights whose redevelopment trends shape planning and occupancy.
Hartford, Waterbury, and Danbury — inland cities that often follow statewide economic patterns.
Bristol and Meriden — towns looking at ways to repurpose commercial spaces near transit and downtown.

What comes next: watching the process unfold

Right now, Drummond and his team haven’t said much publicly. There’s no official plan out yet.

People in the neighborhood are waiting for proposals, zoning news, and word about any financing. The mayor’s office in Middletown stressed that formal engagement is a must, but they also pointed out that Drummond seems to genuinely care about the community.

What happens next? That probably depends on what the locals say, whether the market can support something new, and if the project can draw in tenants who’ll help Metro Square bounce back—without pushing out other efforts in East Hartford or Manchester.

For folks in Connecticut, the Metro Movies saga feels bigger than just a theater. It’s this weirdly fascinating example of a famous athlete-turned-investor maybe fixing a missing piece in downtown, and who knows, maybe jumpstarting Middletown’s small-city economy—or even more than that.

Here is the source article for this story: Midldletowm mayor: Drummond hasn’t reached out about theater deal

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