Jump to content

The Hartford Club | Off-topic posting


Cotuit

Recommended Posts

You mean you live in the one 6(?) apartment building that is remaining after MassMutual destroyed the street then left town?  God bless you, and welcome to the boards.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, though we're condos which is probably the only reason they didn't get this building too. Only a few of the owners actually live here anymore. Mass Mutual still has employees here, for how long though is up in the air I suppose.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 244
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I never understood why the city didn't take action against Mass Mutual for that stunt. They demanded that historical homes on Fraser be torn down for a parking lot, or else they would consider leaving the city. The city gave in, the homes were torn down, an ugly surface lot was built and then Mass Mutual announced they were leaving anyway. Either the city doesn't care or just has some really incompetent lawyers. Mass Mutual should be forced to rebuild before they leave town.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Hey everyone. I just wanted to post some thoughts after a very busy and fun weekend in Hartford. I did alot of partying this weekend. I went to a formal dinner for the NAACP at the Convention Center on Fri. and got to rub elbows with Mayor Perez, Councilman John Larson, and numerous other high ranking state and local officials. After that I went for drinks at the Russell, good times. I went to the club on Sat. night then ended up downtown where I somehow ended up at the newly renovated Hilton (not giving any details) for the first time since It was redone. It looks great on the Inside now. I for one am starting to be convinced that the old saying "there is nothing to do in Hartford" is becoming more and more obsolete.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I've been editing and merging and moving some things today. I want to try to get each thread about each project named with the actual name of the project as the thread title. This helps give the threads a better rank with a Google search and is part of the reason so much traffic has been drawn into the Providence section. Many Google searches for Providence projects have UP threads as one of the top 3 or 4 hits.

If there are any threads that need to be renamed, please let me know and I will rename them. And if there are any projects that don't have threads yet, please feel free to start a new one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with you Tycoon. I was born in the West End, but my family moved to Windsor when I was a kid due to the deteriorating schools and high crime rate. I then moved to New York for college and stayed here to work on Wall Street. I come back to visit Hartford at least once a month, and I can attest to the fact that downtown nightlife has changed dramatically in the last few years. The bars and clubs are packed, and trendy new restaurants are popping-up all over the place.

The two developments that I don't seem to hear much about on this site, but are (to me) among the most interesting are the Colt Gateway and Capewell Horsenail Co. factory projects. Although Coltsville will be mixed-use, the first residential phase appears to be luxury rentals at $1.30 psf, due to open in January 2006. If it is connected to Adriaen's landing and the Riverfront, it would be one of most desireable places to live in the city (big space, nearby park, etc.) and I'd be eager to own a place there myself, if condo's are still in the plan. And if the Capewell project ever gets off the ground, that will be another case of historic Hartford making a comeback. Anyone have any updates on these projects?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with you Tycoon. I was born in the West End, but my family moved to Windsor when I was a kid due to the deteriorating schools and high crime rate. I then moved to New York for college and stayed here to work on Wall Street. I come back to visit Hartford at least once a month, and I can attest to the fact that downtown nightlife has changed dramatically in the last few years. The bars and clubs are packed, and trendy new restaurants are popping-up all over the place.

The two developments that I don't seem to hear much about on this site, but are (to me) among the most interesting are the Colt Gateway and Capewell Horsenail Co. factory projects. Although Coltsville will be mixed-use, the first residential phase appears to be luxury rentals at $1.30 psf, due to open in January 2006. If it is connected to Adriaen's landing and the Riverfront, it would be one of most desireable places to live in the city (big space, nearby park, etc.) and I'd be eager to own a place there myself, if condo's are still in the plan. And if the Capewell project ever gets off the ground, that will be another case of historic Hartford making a comeback. Anyone have any updates on these projects?

Yes, that area around Coltsville and Capewell will be prime development grounds. That's Hartford's best kept secret and a good and affordable investment with possibly the highest rate of return in Hartford. For those of us who can't afford Downtown yet, I think it will turn out to be the next best thing, with the redevelopment Dutch Point taking place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hi! I'm Hiram(icus). Just moved to Hartford from St. Louis, which was going through an urban renaissance there. Excited that there is much going on in Hartford. Got a job here, and think all the developments in the downtown area are phenominal so I kind of want to move on down there. Curious to see how this regentrification goes about and am always interested in transportation projects.

Edited by Hiramicus
Link to comment
Share on other sites

(Hartford) Police say squatters may have caused the two-alarm fire that damaged the vacant Capewell Factory slated for redevelopment near Adriaen's Landing.

Details were sketchy. But authorities say no one was injured, even though homeless people often seek shelter there.

An earlier fire -- in 2002 -- almost destroyed the building.

The factory was built in the 1880s by George Capewell, who invented an automatic process to produce horsenails. The site is under consideration for two hotels and steakhouse.

Hotels and a steakhouse? I thought it was condos and the developers new offices. Any inside info?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi! I'm Hiram(icus). Just moved to Hartford from St. Louis, which was going through an urban renaissance there. Excited that there is much going on in Hartford. Got a job here, and think all the developments in the downtown area are phenominal so I kind of want to move on down there. Curious to see how this regentrification goes about and am always interested in transportation projects.

Hey there, welcome. :) How do you like the Hartford area so far? I've always considered Hartford to be a smaller version of St. Louis, so I was wondering what you thought about the comparison. The two cities seem to have a lot on common, just on different scales.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

See the Courant article on demolition of the New Haven Coliseum.

Demolition Article

Interesting to note that they are going to put a conference center there, which is bad news for Adriaen's Landing. But it also shows that there is a movement statewide to right the architectural wrongs that have left our cities decrepit and, well, ugly. I say good riddance. Now if only we can keep the trend going by renovating/destroying the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum and other monstrosities around town...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, they better not destroy the Civic Center without putting up a newer version that can get an NHL team back. Also, what is New Haven thinking putting a Convention Center up? What works for one city may not work for another, I don't see New haven making any headway with all the bigger Convention Centers around. Plus a new one for Foxwoods? Forget it, bad idea for New Haven.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, they better not destroy the Civic Center without putting up a newer version that can get an NHL team back. Also, what is New Haven thinking putting a Convention Center up? What works for one city may not work for another, I don't see New haven making any headway with all the bigger Convention Centers around. Plus a new one for Foxwoods? Forget it, bad idea for New Haven.....

No, it's a bad idea for Connecticut. It's another example of poor urban planning techniques on the part of the state. ...... Refer to my post on Utopia. You can't develop projects that will directly compete with other ones in your own state. Bad move....but one that has consistently played itself out for years in CT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think it will be all that bad. The article say Conference Center not Convention Center. To me this implies it will be extremely scaled down in comparison to the CCC in Hartford. Anyway, I hope them the best with the project. I think New Haven has more than enough clout to land enough small and mid sized conferences to make it a good investment. Boston supports 2 convention centers in 1 city. It they can have 2 in the city we can do alright with 3 in the state. What we really want is for people to fall in love with CT and say Hartford was nice last year, how about Foxwoods this year or New Haven.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think it will be all that bad. The article say Conference Center not Convention Center. To me this implies it will be extremely scaled down in comparison to the CCC in Hartford. Anyway, I hope them the best with the project. I think New Haven has more than enough clout to land enough small and mid sized conferences to make it a good investment. Boston supports 2 convention centers in 1 city. It they can have 2 in the city we can do alright with 3 in the state. What we really want is for people to fall in love with CT and say Hartford was nice last year, how about Foxwoods this year or New Haven.

Boston metro has 2 X the population of all of CT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sure New Haven can support the demand for a conference center, but I hope there is a large residential component. Property values have risen more sharply in New Haven than in Hartford, and demand for downtown living is high. IMO, any progress for New Haven is a good thing for CT and Hartford, though the state should take more care in planning large scale projects that compete with eachother.

On another note, I was in Hartford for the Thanksgiving holiday and witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly of the city.

On Wednesday night the bars we absolutely packed and some parking lots were full, despite freezing weather. It was a great time, and I'm sure that if I were to take a poll of who would like to live in Hartford, there would be a great response.

I had to work on Saturday in New York and forfeit my ticket to the UCONN football game, but my friends tell me the stadium was packed. Once a skeptic of putting the field in East Hartford, I don't think it could have worked out better in the city.

As for the bad/ugly, I drove through Blue Hills with my father who works there occassionally. He recounted stories of shootings outside where he works, and driving through the area you can see the problem. Dozens of streets of once single-family houses have been converted into ugly vinyl-siding covered multi-family apartments that are not well maintained. Also, the local schools appear more like huge factories. IMO, many of the problems in Blue Hills are a result of a lack of owner-occupancy, and the city should encourage and incentivize more home ownership if the neighboorhoods and create smaller schools to become vibrant communities once again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sure New Haven can support the demand for a conference center, but I hope there is a large residential component. Property values have risen more sharply in New Haven than in Hartford, and demand for downtown living is high. IMO, any progress for New Haven is a good thing for CT and Hartford, though the state should take more care in planning large scale projects that compete with eachother.

On another note, I was in Hartford for the Thanksgiving holiday and witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly of the city.

On Wednesday night the bars we absolutely packed and some parking lots were full, despite freezing weather. It was a great time, and I'm sure that if I were to take a poll of who would like to live in Hartford, there would be a great response.

I had to work on Saturday in New York and forfeit my ticket to the UCONN football game, but my friends tell me the stadium was packed. Once a skeptic of putting the field in East Hartford, I don't think it could have worked out better in the city.

As for the bad/ugly, I drove through Blue Hills with my father who works there occassionally. He recounted stories of shootings outside where he works, and driving through the area you can see the problem. Dozens of streets of once single-family houses have been converted into ugly vinyl-siding covered multi-family apartments that are not well maintained. Also, the local schools appear more like huge factories. IMO, many of the problems in Blue Hills are a result of a lack of owner-occupancy, and the city should encourage and incentivize more home ownership if the neighboorhoods and create smaller schools to become vibrant communities once again.

The Blue Hills Neighborhood is not perfect but is by far one the most attractive neighborhoods in the city. Blue Hills Ave. is a main st. so yeah it has some apartments, but the vast majority of the housing in Blue Hills is well maintained and is 1 or 2 family houses. I have lived here all of my life, trust me I know the neighborhood like the back of my hand, most of it doesn't even look like the inner city at all. If you think Blue Hills is bad, I can't fathom what the rest of the North End looks like to you. I'm not being defensive, but I take pride in my neighborhood. Drive around the area from Holcomb St. to Westbourne Prkwy and you will see many of the finest houses Hartford has to offer, well maintained and almost all owner occupied.

Edited by HartfordTycoon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to go through the North End (North East/Clay Arsenal) every day growing up, and I know that it's a whole different world, not even comparable to Blue Hills. It's more like Beirut. My father used to work in the worst part of it and I remember the murders and gang warfare which is not yet a thing of the past. (In fact, it's coming back as the 10 year sentences of the 90s come due.)

As for Blue Hills, I apologize for the offense, but crime is still a big problem there. Like I said, my father works right on Blue Hills Ave a few days a week, and his stories are frightening. And from my time there this weekend, be it only a half hour, the properties I saw did not appear well-maintained, a fact that prompted a familial discussion on the neighborhood.

Pardon me, but given Hartford's reputation for absentee landlordism and the vigorous attempts of the mayor's office to reverse this trend it's hard to believe that anywhere in the North End is predominantly owner-occupied, which multi-family housing tends not to be. There may be a new trend in home ownership, but it certainly isn't predominant.

As a resident of the area you probably see the improvements and how far the area has come, which I can't, so I understand your defensivenss (I can't have a conversation about Hartford without getting that way). I live in East Harlem now which has recently become livable, though most people wouldn't even consider it.

If Hartford wants to move up it needs to attract new blood into its neighborhoods. It won't do that by ignoring that there's still a long way to go, or by pretending the problems in the North End don't exist. You may live there, but I left, so my perspective, though indirect, is just as relevant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to go through the North End (North East/Clay Arsenal) every day growing up, and I know that it's a whole different world, not even comparable to Blue Hills. It's more like Beirut. My father used to work in the worst part of it and I remember the murders and gang warfare which is not yet a thing of the past. (In fact, it's coming back as the 10 year sentences of the 90s come due.)

As for Blue Hills, I apologize for the offense, but crime is still a big problem there. Like I said, my father works right on Blue Hills Ave a few days a week, and his stories are frightening. And from my time there this weekend, be it only a half hour, the properties I saw did not appear well-maintained, a fact that prompted a familial discussion on the neighborhood.

Pardon me, but given Hartford's reputation for absentee landlordism and the vigorous attempts of the mayor's office to reverse this trend it's hard to believe that anywhere in the North End is predominantly owner-occupied, which multi-family housing tends not to be. There may be a new trend in home ownership, but it certainly isn't predominant.

As a resident of the area you probably see the improvements and how far the area has come, which I can't, so I understand your defensivenss (I can't have a conversation about Hartford without getting that way). I live in East Harlem now which has recently become livable, though most people wouldn't even consider it.

If Hartford wants to move up it needs to attract new blood into its neighborhoods. It won't do that by ignoring that there's still a long way to go, or by pretending the problems in the North End don't exist. You may live there, but I left, so my perspective, though indirect, is just as relevant.

Well put..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.