Trumbull on the Park

Opened: December 2005
Location: Trumbull Street/Lewis Street Historic District, Hartford


Trumbull on the park opened in December 2005 as a traditional 19th Century enclave. The building offers 100 lofts located in three buildings standing 9 stories high, the building also offers 9,000 square feet of retail and commercial space below the apartments. One parking space is provided complimentary in a secure parking garage. 


Here is a list of estimated prices:

For more information please visit: www.trumbullonthepark.com

The Parkview Hilton

Opened: September, 1954
Demolished: 1990


I planned on writing up a piece on the Hartford Hilton building, but someone beat me to it. Please read this great article on the past, present and future of the Hartford Hilton site by: Dennis House Channel 3.

Happy Anniversary Parking Lot!

October 27, 2010 - Leave a Response

The so-called “Butt Ugly” building at the edge of Downtown Hartford will be demolished later this week.  The city says the parcel will be prepared for potential development, but if history is any indication, that plot of land will be empty for decades to come.     Downtown is littered with vacant lots that were once home to buildings razed years ago in the name of development. 
Twenty years ago this week, a spectacular demolition witnessed by thousands of people,  cleared another parcel for development.    That prime plot is now in its third decade of vacancy, used only as a parking lot.  The drivers who ditch their cars there are treated to postcard views of the State Capitol, the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, Bushnell Park, and the skyline.
The Parkview Hilton, formerly known as the Statler Hilton , was a classic example of 1950s architecture.   The picture  above shows the hotel in its glory.   As the city’s most prestigious hotel, the 16 story box played host to conventions, presidents, and celebrities.    By the end of the 1970s it was tired, and despite renovations and a more modern facade in 1981, it was closed by the end of the decade.   On October 28, 1990, it was imploded.
The Hilton lot, with the views and proximity to the park, attractions, highways and train station was considered so desirable, it was called the “Mona Lisa of the Hartford real estate world,” by a real estate expert interviewed by the New York Times.
A World Trade Center for Connecticut was proposed for the site, along with a new world headquarters for United Technologies, but the projects never took off.    I spoke with Cheryl Chase, whose Chase Enterprises owns the property.   She told me never imagined the Hilton lot would still be empty 20 years later.  
Chase would very much  like to develop the property, but there has been little interest in building something in keeping with the caliber of the location.    “It is the first thing you see when drive into downtown,” Chase said.  She  envisions a landmark skyscraper with condominiums at the top, commercial in the middle and retail on the ground level.    
Chase blames the economy for the fact that a prime chunk of real estate is nothing more than a sea of asphalt, but also complained “Hartford is tough.”       Like many, she is hopeful new Mayor Pedro Segarra will help bring new business to the city, but also believes it starts at the top.  “Connecticut needs to be more business-friendly,” Chase said.  
The Chase family tends to be community-minded  big thinkers and very creative, so when the property is developed, I have no doubt it will be a head turner.   Who can forget Arnold Chase’s “Winter Wonderland” and “Haunted Happenings” at the old G. Fox Building?     
Call me a dreamer, but I have a feeling something is going to happen on that site in 2011.   First, as soon as a plan to lower the I-84 Aetna Viaduct is finalized the value of the property will go up.   High speed rail in and out Union Station will also heighten the plot’s appeal.    A new governor and the new pro-development mayor and the stars might finally be aligning for the “Chase Tower.”    I think it should include an observatory along the lines of Seattle’s Space Needle.  Could be a big tourist attraction.
Everyone is in agreement that it is a collosal waste and shame that such land is used for parking.   Can you even imagine such a lot bordering Central Park or the Boston Common?
As for the “Butt-Ugly” property, I think the city should market it for a short time, then if it doesn’t sell, donate it.    Give it to the University of Hartford, Trinity College, or UConn to build housing for students who want to live off campus.   All those young feet on the street could spur development, and with the new public safety complex being built a few blocks away, that whole neighborhood could turn around in a few years.
By the way, the beautiful Victorian building next to the Hilton in the postcard?  That’s the old Hartford YMCA, torn down for…you guessed it, a parking lot. 
I will dig out the old tape of the implosion from the archives tomorrow and post it here.

The Lyric Theatre

Photo from: Sunsentinal.com

Closed: 1979
Demolished: March 27, 2010
Location: Corner of Park and Broad Street


This article by Kerri Provost describes the problems with the Lyric Theatre before it was torn down:


The Lyric Theatre closed in 1979. After thirty years of "demolition by neglect" and a cost of upwards of $400,000 for stabilization and abatement, the City has decided to remove it via "emergency demolition" on March 27th and 28th. The inside of the theater was gutted and cleaned out over three years ago. Geathers claimed that, "no one's ever given us a proposal...for the redevelopment of this." It's hard to believe that the City could not have worked more carefully with potential investors as to encourage a serious proposal at some point over the past thirty years.


The Lyric Theatre has been sitting vacant as property of the City for years. When blight exists for  this long, it can hardly be considered an "emergency." One asks what was being done for the past several decades to maintain this building. What can we expect the City of Hartford to do in terms of other people's blighted properties if it can not even maintain its own?


Full article: http://www.realhartford.org/2010/03/24/lyric-theater-demolition-order-letter-is-official-and-cannot-be-changed/


Update: The building has been demolished on March 27th, 2010.

Highway to Hell: A New Look For I-84?

Photo: The Hartford Courant

Experts are proposing changes made to I-84, more specifically the viaduct that goes past Sisson Ave and the Capitol Area. Citizens say the highway has separated the North End and Asylum Hill from the Capitol Area, and changing the structure of the highway can help resolve this problem. The highway was built in 1965 and has was given a 40 year life expectancy which has already passed in 2005 with no major improvements by the DOT. Goody Clancy bid on the project, a Massachusetts developer and has mentioned a tunnel, another viaduct, or a surface boulevard. Now all that has to be done is the railroad tracks have to be moved north of the highway which is simpler now then in the past since it does not have as much traffic to factories as it once had. 

The Courant mentions: "The city will get to reclaim 15-20 acres of prime land close to Union Station, including developable land along the western edge of Bushnell Park, where the report recommends a new street be built, plus more land in the Sisson Avenue area. There is the chance to reconnect streets severed by the highway and connect Asylum Hill to downtown with a bike/ped path." 

Original article: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-op-condon-aetna-viaduct-i84-1024-20101024,0,5019528.column

The Hartford Times Building

The Hartford Times Building located on Prospect Street part of the Front Street Development Project Area- was designed in 1920 and served as the headquarters for a Hartford newspaper publisher. The paper went out of business in 1976 but the building remained and it is now getting a renovation sponsored by the Wadsworth Atheneum. The project will provide the Atheneum with 5 floors of project and office space. Willard Holmes, the executive director of the Atheneum said, ''We didn't want the Hartford Times building to become a condominium high rise,'' he said. ''So it's going to be great for us, it's going to allow us to expand, it's going to allow us to make our steady, determined march into the future and save a piece of architecture for Hartford, too.'' 

Cold Stone Creamery has Tax Problems

The State has forced 3 Cold Stone Creamery Outlets to  temporarily shut down due to the suspension of their sales tax permits. The parlors are located in South Windsor, Simsbury, and Newington. It is said that the owners are behind in their property taxes for the locations.  Newington is owed $5,221, Simsbury is owed $5,391, and South Windsor is owed $7,249. There is no word when the parlors will open up again.

Born to be Wilde-Cigna Redevelopment

CIGNA'S WILDE BUILDING

BUILT: 1957

LOCATION: BLOOMFIELD, CT

In 1999 Bloomfield based-Cigna proposed the demolition of the Wilde building, an international styled building designed by Gordon Bunshaft (http://www.buffaloah.com/a/archs/bun.html) built on 450 acres of farmland in 1957. The goal of the campus was to have a campus in a suburban place where people could work, take walks, and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings.  In 2010 the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Cigna decided to do an estimated $59 million renovation of the building using federal money. The entire Cigna campus was listed on the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America until the decision for renovation came forth. 


Here are some photos after the rehabilitation posted by "Macrostiehistoric.com":

Looking For A House? UConn Puts Hogan's House On Market

Got a spare $1 million dollars? If so, your in luck, the University of CT is selling the former president's home. The home which sits at 88 Gurleyville Rd. is refinished with state money and read for someone to move right in. Mansfield town records state that the house increased in value almost $40,000 in one year to its current assessment of $907,000. The property taxes are $16,326 per year. So if your a Uconn student and need housing, just find 30 more roommates to share this wonderful "party house." 

Savin Rock Company Opens in Hartford

The Savin Rock Company has opened at 960 Main Street Hartford. The restaurant is known for it's slow roasted meats and deli type sandwiches. Breakfast is also served all day with the famous Baronett Coffee. This is the restaurant's first location in central Connecticut. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday 7am to 9pm. 

The "Other Capitol"- Capitol West Building

Capitol West Building

Built: ????

The Capitol West Building Stands right next to I-84 West Asylum Street exit and acts as a terrible gateway into Hartford. In terms of future land use, it is envisioned that the Capitol West office building be redeveloped as a transit-oriented development possibly including structured parking and a pedestrian connection with the corporate campus across Spring Street to support Union Station’s transition to a commuter rail and bus station. The transit oriented development will require part of the building to be demolished. Plans to redevelop the Capitol West building by shady developer Joshua Guttman into 97 mostly-1 bedroom residential units fell flat and now it only houses homeless people now. Guttman has been known to not being a stranger to having fires conveniently consuming properties he wants to develop. Hope he does us a favor and lights the Capitol West Building up. Guttman planned to invest $12 million into the project however the economy stopped the project. Guttman paid only $1 million for the building, a cheap $6 a square foot.  Construction begun in 2006 with workers removing windows, however that same construction halted the project after asbestos was found. Guttman has faced up to $3 million dollars in fines for the unmaintained building but its unclear how those fines were handled. The other problem with the development was parking, there would be only enough room for 55 spaces in the building, so other parking near the building would have to be sought. 

Colt Gateway-Is It History?

Colt Factory Complex
Built: 1855
Status: Flunking


The Colt Factory Building sits on the side of I-91 with its onion shaped blue dome. Its in the process of being redeveloped but due to the economy, investors have had problem keeping up with the restoration and upkeep of existing apartments. The developer is also having trouble attracting retailers into the building, originally there were plans for a coffee shop to open in the building. The apartments come in 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom and lofts. The developer's goal is to link residents to downtown's Adriaen's Landing and Front Street plus the option to use various nearby highways for travel.

Heres a few pictures of the interior:

Other problems with the building is the possibility that it is haunted. Reports of paranormal activity have been reported by tenants. Sounds of a large boulder falling on the floor above and rolling have been heard by tenants on every floor, including the top floor. Also, apparitions have been reported wearing workers clothes from the 1800s with footsteps being heard in empty rooms. 

This place might be a great place to live eventually, but right now the development is failing.

The Park River (Bushnell Park). Yes Its Real.....

Park River flowing thru Hartford

Check out the picture above. Something seem strange to you? How bout a river running right down the center of Bushnell Park. The Park River once entered Bushnell Park near the State Armory and crossed where Asylum, Ford and Jewell Street now are. The river was a great source of energy for mills in Hartford, but it was also the source of large flooding especially in 1936 and 1938. The Army Corps of Engineers decided to construct an underground tunnel covering the river. The tunnel runs under the park-Pulaski Circle, Main Street, Hartford Public Library and the Conland Whitehead Highway before it empties into the CT River. The entire project was completed in the early 1980s, it spans more than 9 miles and cost an estimated $100 million. If you feel adventurous you can access the river by the University of Hartford and kayak or canoe for about 6 miles in the very polluted river until you reach the tunnel just before the Mark Twain House. 


Here is an article from the New York Times about a journalists voyage down the river:


http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/31/nyregion/paddling-hartford-s-scenic-sewer-abused-underground-river-up-close-noxious.html

New Britain-Hartford Busway

A concept for the New Britain Station

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) is proposing to construct the New Britain-Hartford Busway, a 9.4-mile exclusive bus rapid transit (BRT) system operating in an existing and abandoned railroad right-of-way on a new two-way roadway between downtown New Britain and downtown Hartford’s Union Station.  The corridor runs largely parallel to Interstate 84, the region’s most congested highway and the primary transportation link between New Britain, West Hartford, and downtown Hartford. The actual stops are: Union Place, Sigourney St. , Park St., Kane St., Flatbush Ave., Corbins Corner, Uconn Health Center, Cedar St, East St, New Britain station, Bristol Station, Southington Park and Ride, Milldale Park and Ride, Cheshire Express, Waterbury Park and Ride, and Waterbury Express  The proposed project is intended to provide improved transit travel times between activity centers along the corridor, improve mobility and accessibility for the region’s relatively large transit-dependent population, and promote redevelopment opportunities in older urban centers along the alignment.  

The project is forecast to result in 3,900 hours of weekday travel-time benefits in 2025 when compared to conventional bus service.  The majority of these benefits would result from travel between New Britain and Hartford, with in-vehicle transit travel-time savings of 11 minutes for peak period trips between the two downtowns when compared to bus service operating on local roadways.  In addition, ConnDOT’s Busway operations plan would allow buses to enter and exit the facility to reach destinations well outside of the immediate corridor.  This feature would extend the project’s transportation benefits through the region, by increasing bus speeds for the portion of trips utilizing the guideway and reducing the need for transfers.  It is anticipated that low-income residents who may not have access to an automobile and who currently have difficulty reaching jobs in the corridor and other destinations in the suburbs would realize almost 40 percent of the project’s travel-time benefits. The busway will also serve as a network for the planned New Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter railway.

Gone Already? Pocket Wireless Moves Out of the State

The Texas based wireless company will close its doors in Connecticut and Massachusetts due to a weak economy, increased competition, and an expensive market in which to build infrastructure. Today is the last day to visit a retail store and customers who have purchased a phone within 30 days will be issued a refund. Those who have had the plan longer than 30 days will be switched to a different carrier. About a 100 workers are expected to be let go. Pocket wireless had stores in Bristol, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, and Waterbury.