Hartford HistoryTrivia Questions, Weeks 91-96Return to trivia home page
Q: In 1912, the city authorized construction of only the front half of a public building, because it hadn't appropriated enough money to fund the entire project. What was this building? A: City Hall. Work began in 1912 with a $300,000 appropriation; later, $1 million was appropriated to build the back half, with the full bulding being dedicated on Nov. 4, 1915. "Yesterday's Connecticut," a book by Malcolm L. Johnson, contains a fascinating photograph of the front half of City Hall, near completion.
Q: In the spring of 1981, an organization that would end up having a profound impact on the look of Hartford held its first meeting in the Old State House. What was this organization? A: Riverfront Recapture. (Source: "Images of America: Lost Hartford," compiled by Wilson H. Faude.)
Q: Through the 1920s and much of the 1930s, the true center of government in Connecticut was not the state Capitol but the third floor of the Allyn House Hotel, at the corner of Asylum and Trumbull streets. Why? A: The hotel served as headquarters for Republican State Chairman Henry J. Roraback. As Albert E. van Dusen puts it in his history of Connecticut, "virtually every candidate and every patronage position in state politics had to be 'cleared' with 'J. Henry,'" as his friends called him.
Q: What "redevelopment" project required destroying 12 acres of 18th- and 19th-century architecture? A: Constitution Plaza. (Source: "Structures and Styles: Guided Tours of Hartford Architecture," by Gregory E. Andrews and David F. Ransom.)
Q: Hartford had a team in the ill-fated Major Indoor Soccer League during the late 1970s and early 1980s. What was its name? A: The Hellions. The team lasted from 1979 to 1981, when it moved to Memphis. Here's some more information: http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/misl.html
Q: In 1860, a group of Hartford women decided that boys who roamed city streets deserved "a positive alternative," so they formed an organization that eventually spread throughout the country and today serves 3.3 million children. What is it? A: The Boys & Girls Clubs of America. It started in Hartford as the Dashaway Club. See the organization's Web site for an overview of its history:
http://www.bgca.org/whoweare/history.asp The Hartford chapter has its own site: http://www.bgchartford.org/index.html
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