News and Events

The website of the Hartford Preservation Alliance, at www.hartfordpreservation.org, has undergone a dramatic redesign. It now features news on local preservation issues, a calendar of events, membership information, a list of publications relative to architectural preservation and restoration, copies of current and past HPA newsletters in PDF format, articles, and publications.

The redesign was done by Karen O'Maxfield of Studio O'Maxfield in Hartford, under a grant to HPA from the Melville Foundation. Congratulations to Karen and the HPA.

# Posted by Kevin Flood at 6:28 PM

Sunday, February 27, 2005

'Bring Back The Isle Of Safety'

Wilson H. Faude, historical consultant and executive director emeritus of the Old State House, argues in an op-ed article appearing in today's Hartford Courant that the Isle of Safety should be returned to its original home at the intersection of State and Main streets. The Isle, with its signature red-tiled roof, was erected in 1913 as a place where people could wait for trolley cars, safe from traffic and the weather. It remained even when buses replaced the trolley. But in 1976, a redesign of the traffic flow around the Old State House resulted in the Isle's removal, and it eventually ended up at the Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor, where it's on display today. Faude writes that returning the Isle "to its rightful place in the center of downtown would make a powerful statement about the revival of the city."

The Connecticut Trolley Museum has a photograph of the Isle on its website, at www.ct-trolley.org.

# Posted by Kevin Flood at 1:46 PM

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Book on MDC History Published

"Water for Hartford: The Story of the Hartford Water Works and the Metropolitan District Commission," chronicles the evolution of the Hartford region's water system between the 1850s and the 1950s. Written by Keven Murphy, it is published by the Shining Tramp Press and can be ordered at www.shiningtramp.com.

# Posted by Kevin Flood at 6:13 PM

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Phoenix 'Boat Building' Named to National Register

In recognition of its unique, two-sided design, the headquarters of the Phoenix Companies has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The building was constructed on Constitution Plaza in 1963 and quickly became known as the "boat building" because of its lenticular shape. To mark the occasion, the Phoenix Foundation is granting $10,000 to the Hartford Preservation Alliance. For more on the building, visit the Phoenix website. For more on the National Register notification, see this press release.

Hartford History