Yesterday I witnessed a truly fine block party for the residents of Marshall Street.  Sponsored  by a number of Asylum Hill organizations this party was a total success.  Many people gathered to delight in hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, soda and cotton candy.  Yet food was not the only attraction because there were games, trampolines, face-painting and free books.  As a resident of Asylum Hill I was in wonder of the many countries represented by the people who now call Hartford home.

It took great restraint for me not to cut in line for the cotton candy.  It always speaks summer to me and clearly it brought smiles to all who ate it! 

photo: www.scoutingny.com

Last evening as I was eating my dinner of Spaghetti-O’s and watching the PBS News Hour (sometimes a way to lose an appetite if topic is scary) I caught a segment which totally captured my attention. A vacant factory building in Brooklyn, once the home of Pfizer, had been vacant and abandoned for years.  Recently an entrepreneur bought the building and has now created a small business incubator.  Not only are the tenants hip and cool so are the products they are manufacturing!  I particularly like the company producing animal collars and leashes which state that the animal is a rescue.  Way cool.  But further the angle of the piece was a discussion of how the Pfizer building once offered 2,500 jobs, good jobs.  With the incubator at roughly 40 percent occupancy 1,000 have been created by these entrepreneurs.  Hopes and plans by the owner/developer are that a similar number of jobs will once again thrive at this site.

Photo: Nathan Kensinger for ny. curbed.com

Tell me where we might do this in Hartford. Use the comment section below or comment on our Facebook page to send us your suggestions for buildings which offer a similar potential for revitalization of historic buildings and employment.  Let’s do this together, yes?

This past weekend our buddy and technical assistance client (guinea pig) Jeff Bell tossed a party.  Not just an ordinary affair mind you but one to take a major step forward to improve his home.  This writer arrived too soon to eat or drink but was in time to witness the glee of yanking down a fence which has needed to go for years. 

I made sure to take a photograph of the intrepid demolition team.  Those are sort of smiles on their faces; after all it is serious business to wreck a fence (think Robert Frost) but in this case a job well done! 

As you can see the whole corner now looks ready to be improved, replanted and to become a thing of beauty. One can only hope that the party following was as successful.

Congratulations Jeff Ball and team!  We are enjoying working with and for you. 

2 Park Terrace – the dreaded fence

When first we talked about this property we had been contacted by the owner, Jeff Ball, who wanted to do the right thing by his home in Frog Hollow.  HPA offered to work with Jeff on technical assistance matters to include the repair and renovation to his front porch, the elimination of one pretty terrible fence, a painting scheme and gutters.  Happily we have engaged the services of Valerio Giadone, architect, who is working with HPA clients to make suggested renovations.  You can view several sketches of the porch repairs which will be utilized as Jeff talks with his porch contractor.

l to r: Phil Barlow, Jeff Ball, Valerio Giadone

The owner has come to recognize that the fence enclosing his property is pretty much an eyesore.  He inquired whether the boundary might not be defined through a landscape plan rather than install a new fence. 

We reached out to Phil Barlow, TO Design, LLC  and asked if he might offer guidance to Jeff.  We held a powwow at the property and hope to have a simple design shortly which the owner can plant and maintain.  We are to understand that friends will gather to bid a not-so-fond farewell to the fence, apparently beer and a cookout might be in order.

Please keep checking back for additions to this urban project.  If you have color suggestions we all would love to hear from you!!!!!!!

Valerio Giadone’s design

In recent posts I have written about our new strategic plan.  It envisions how our organization will grow and make a difference in the development of Hartford.  As we see it, what becomes new is built on our amazing history. We have a rich historic fabric of Technicolor neighborhoods and communities.  Hartford is a diverse city and it is that diversity that represents how the city was built and how it will continue to grow.

HPA, as other non-profits, relies on a governing body which can guide, advise and lead as we carry out our mission – to Connect, Revitalize and Collaborate.  Our board needs to be as diverse as the city in which we work by adequately representing those who live here.  Modern historic preservation is growing as a dynamic field with a role to play in urban planning and helping to create sustainable communities.  Our strategic plan challenges us to put energy and talent into making a better, more creative city as we collaborate in building the future Hartford. We at HPA choose to be a community partner and we need help to carry the message that historic preservation matters here.

We have vacancies on our board of directors and want to reach out to those of you who wish to live, work and play here.  We want our board to be as diverse as the citizens of the city who built Hartford.  If you are a believer and want to share some of your time and talent, we would truly like to welcome your help.  For more information contact Frank Hagaman 860.920.2410 or frank@hartfordpreservation.org.