Hartford History
News and Events
To add your event or pass along some news, write to Editor and Webmaster Kevin Flood.
Return to HartfordHistory.net home
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Restoring the Glory of Farmington Avenue
Hartford Courant columnist Tom Condon notes the recent successes West End activists have had in saving some important structures on Farmington Avenue, including the facade of the former Colonial Theater, which is now the face of the Braza restaurant, and a duckpin bowling alley. They've also "commissioned a plan that will make the avenue an attractive urban boulevard," he writes. "If the city gets behind it, as may be happening, this could be a very good thing for Hartford and the region."
It would be a significant change from the policy of the past several decades. As Condon notes, the city took Hartford's major arteries for granted in the decades following World War II. "Weak zoning combined with other urban ills to degrade the once-proud thoroughfares," he writes. Now, "there's momentum that shouldn't be wasted."
# Posted by Kevin Flood at 11:07 AM
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Circus Fire Memorial to Be Dedicated July 6
A long-planned memorial to the victims of the Hartford Circus Fire will be dedicated on Wednesday, July 6 -- the 61st anniversary of the blaze, which killed 168 people.
The ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the Fred D. Wish Elementary School, at 350 Barbour Street, in the city's north end. The memorial is located behind the school, which is approximately where the fire occurred. According to the Hartford Courant: "The memorial stretches along a dirt path, along which are six pedestals. The first pedestal provides information about the night of the fire. Each succeeding pedestal gives an account of what happened at a particular minute. The final pedestal tells visitors that they are within the perimeter of the big top." The bronze centerpiece of the memorial features the names of the victims.
The project is the work of the Hartford Circus Fire Memorial Foundation, which has its own website, at www.hartfordcircusfirememorial.com. Also note that the Foundation is collecting survivors' stories for a booklet.
# Posted by Kevin Flood at 5:33 PM
Archives
April 2004
May 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
