During the past several weeks much has been written about 220 High Street on the Facebook nanosecond news cycle. Let’s be clear the Preservation Alliance seeks alternative preservation strategies to preserve an historic property.
We asked our resident architect and technical assistance guidance counselor, Valerio Giadone, to consider a project which incorporates the property as a component of new development. Hartford hopes to create a new neighborhood, DoNo, which draws new residents, retail and vitality across the great divide known as I-84. Our take on a High Street development brings an historic streetscape back to life with the creation of townhouse structures. Any developer seeks density to make a project cost-effective and such was the cause for variances of these parcels of land now vacant. With historic row house examples, many of which have been torn down, a design like this would be totally appropriate and in keeping with former blocks in the City. The cost to incorporate 220 into the overall development might add to the budget but by no means so extraordinary as to prevent a reuse. Rather, a preservation strategy to spark a human scale and historic street development might be just the ticket to enliven a neighborhood renaissance.
Please bear in mind that our take on the street is one of many possibilities. We post this to suggest what might be……….. Please join us in imagining.