IN PROGRESS: Front Street @ Adriaen's Landing

[HartfordTycoon]

Jeez, anyone who can still remain optimistic about this project is a better theophrastus than I.

There is really no reason for this project not to have some kind of success. It does need an anchor and a movie theater is a damn good one and the other spaces can be pretty much restaurant/bar/lounge type of stuff and it will be fine. I'm still just happy that it's not hole in the ground and it's just a matter of getting some leases signed rather than getting something built anymore. Things move very slowly in Hartford but the momentum is actually building for some good things to happen IMO.

[The Voice of Reason]

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-haar-0401-20110331,0,3322408.column

dan har did a little piece on front street.

[HartfordTycoon]

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-haar-0401-20110331,0,3322408.column

dan har did a little piece on front street.

It was a very interesting read and I pretty much agree with his assesment. Hartford already has proven that it's not a dead city. It's not quite thriving yet but the apartments are pretty full and there is much more life Downtown than just 5 or 10 years ago. Things are moving in the right direction and eventually Front Street will have tenents. Look how long it took H21, but that is actually starting to move towards it's potential. They just need to keep adding housing and eventually we will be in a much better place.

I think the key part is here.

Front Street, flawed from the start as a forced retail development in a city that doesn't support retail, was so important a decade ago. We needed vibrancy and this was the way to get it, part of a $1 billion state gambit on the capital city.

That was before downtown had all the apartments, before the city showed signs that, yes, it can fight through hard times and not come out looking like Youngstown.

Does Front Street really still matter?

"It does matter," said Valerie Mikalonis of Granby, one of the women walking to Starbucks.

She and her friends would do some shopping on their lunch hours if the stores would open, they said. Considering the economy, they're very understanding that the developer — the third group to run Front Street — has not filled the space.

"I think it would be a nice benefit, not essential by any means," said Briana Brumaghim of Plymouth.

It is essential, Mikalonis retorted, to the people who live nearby.

Maybe, maybe not. Brumaghim has it about right. After all the handwringing and false starts, this project comes down to a nice benefit in a city that knows what works and what doesn't, but can't make it happen because we've made too many mistakes in the past.

As long as the number of Downtown residents keeps increasing more development will be essential and as a result it will happen.

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

Looks like this outfit is the latest to try and lease space at Front Street (at least they tacked up posters in all the empty storefronts):

Founded in March 2010 - yikes.

Of course, ABSOLUTELY NO MENTION of Front St. on their website - typical.

Edited May 3, 2011 by Theophrastus Bombastus

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

Hopefully some leases are forthcoming. Some new pix here:

http://www.eaglerockretail.com/properties-for-lease/Front-Street/

Brew Pub, Bakery, Coffee Shop, Bowling, Live Music, Restaurant, Theater, Wine bar (?) - that would work for me.

http://www.eaglerockretail.com/properties-for-lease/Front-Street/lease-plan.pdf

Edited May 18, 2011 by Theophrastus Bombastus

[HartfordTycoon]

Front Street will work out eventually. Hopefully things start to move in the right direction sooner rather than later but it is an attractive development with a unique and potentially valuable location with plenty of on site parking. I will love to see it once it looks more like this.

[beerbeer]

EagleRock is the latest in a long line of real estate agents for Front Street.

Nice pics. Click to upsize them.

Edited May 18, 2011 by beerbeer

[MadVlad]

I still hate what this project has become...

[HartfordTycoon]

Looks like the theater is still a go. This is a pretty good idea that they have to have a contest to pick the seating styles held at the Convention Center and other area sites. They are getting to know the neighborhood and letting people know that they are for real. Good stuff. Can't wait to catch a flick there in the near future.

Hartford Courant

Get ready this week for a preview of coming attractions for downtown Hartford's movie theater at Front Street.

Beginning Wednesday, the operators of Spotlight Theatres Inc. will give the public the chance to sit in eight different styles of seats that could be used in the four screen, 700-seat venue — and vote for their favorites. Two styles will be chosen from the top votegetters: one for "VIP," reserved seating and the other for general, stadium seating admission.

The voting will start at the convention center, across Columbus Boulevard from the Front Street entertainment and restaurant district and continue for six weeks, moving to other high-traffic venues such as the science center and possibly, the Travelers tower.

[HartfordHope]

Looks like the theater is still a go. This is a pretty good idea that they have to have a contest to pick the seating styles held at the Convention Center and other area sites. They are getting to know the neighborhood and letting people know that they are for real. Good stuff. Can't wait to catch a flick there in the near future.

Hartford Courant

Get ready this week for a preview of coming attractions for downtown Hartford's movie theater at Front Street.

Beginning Wednesday, the operators of Spotlight Theatres Inc. will give the public the chance to sit in eight different styles of seats that could be used in the four screen, 700-seat venue — and vote for their favorites. Two styles will be chosen from the top votegetters: one for "VIP," reserved seating and the other for general, stadium seating admission.

The voting will start at the convention center, across Columbus Boulevard from the Front Street entertainment and restaurant district and continue for six weeks, moving to other high-traffic venues such as the science center and possibly, the Travelers tower.

I just put my hand on the ground and yup.... it's cold. It finally froze over.

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

Zero activity at the site - movie theater dead???

[The Voice of Reason]

I would think so, but I did hear from a friend that his uncle is looking to open something in there, but "the developers are looking to sign a few more tenants, before they allow any one to start building out the space"

this is sort of plausable, because these buildings do not have floors yet, and the owner has almost no costs associated with these buildings. if they put in all the concrete and plumbing and electric and start paying to light it at night and paying for security and bla bla bla, they expose themselves to significant expenses. so shopping centers like this usually do not get going without a few tenants, and I suppose the theater and a cell phone store and maybe a resturanut are not quite enough to make things happen.

I get it, I really do, but I am just as willing to believe that the theater is dead

[HartfordTycoon]

It looks like the theater may actually still be on track.

I just got an e mail from CCEDA about a free screening of the Lion King this Friday at the convention center sponsored by Spotlight Theatre at Front Street. I decided to check out their web site and Hartford is actually on there and they even have a cool picture. I definitely hope this still happens and they can get Front Street going.

http://www.spotlight...frontstreet.php

[HartfordHope]

Construction is starting on the theatre and a potential live music venue. Just when I was starting to think hell would freeze over first

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-front-street-activity-20111130,0,7378078.story

[The Voice of Reason]

This is promising, with a theater and a live music venue you can bet that a few smaller tenants will pup up to serve the beer and food.

the music venue would be around 13000 SF, It would be nice to have a mid sized venue in a nice well lit safe place. I suspect they would do well.

there have been quite a few leases over the last year with H21 being half full, and 915 main street picking up a wireless zone and Pratt adding 2-3 new places. Really if this continues, downtown will a pretty damn interesting place after the planned housing comes to fruition.

[HartfordHope]

http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/sound-check/hc-front-street-venue-new-talk-of-live-music-at-adriaens-landing-20111201,0,320250.column

How awesome would this be.

[MichaelQReilly]

I've been down to the Fairfield Theater Co. several times. It would be great to have that type of venue in the city.

[HartfordHope]

Looks like the Infinity rumor was true. This would be pretty awesome for the city!

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news22160.html

[HartfordTycoon]

Signs of life at Front Street. Imagine that. According to the article the movie theater is now under construction and Infinity Hall Hartford is picking up serious steam. Now if they can get a few restaurant/lounge type places Front Street could be pretty inviting to locals and visitors alike. Also with an operating retail district in phase 1 the housing in phase 2 becomes that much easier to get financing for. It's been a long, tough battle but I think it is finally going to start paying off.

[HartfordHope]

Convention center attendence up 50%. This has to help businesses look at Front st too.

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-convention-center-attendance-20120118,0,790041.story

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

Jeez Louise...... it's been empty so long they now have a MOLD problem....

http://courantblogs.com/ct-real-estate/construction-truck-outside-hartfords-front-street-but-not-the-one-youd-expect/

Edited February 23, 2012 by Theophrastus Bombastus

[mikel]

Front Street sucks. Just tear the stupid strip mall down. We need housing.. not more nonsense.

[The Voice of Reason]

I love that this is one project we all agree on. I mean its got to be the first that there is a concensus on. it sucks in almost every way, but it is also better than a parking lot. but we still hate it as much as a parking lot, and we also all have some faint hope that it becomes an asset to the city.

for my part, if the recent comments about the residential component are true, This project overall will start to show signs of hopo.

here is the breakdown...

IF they build 115 Apartments on the parking lot between the Hartford Times and The Elks Hall, Front Street would be much more tied-in to the city. The apartments would also add much needed life to this very "pretty" part of the city (the area in front ofg the Elks is my favorite part of the city, it just needs improvements to Travelers Plaza and Wadsworth so they interact with the street)

The apartment building would have 16,000SF of retail. these 16,000SF would surely be likely to attract tenents because of the apartments and (hopefully) theater and music venue.

If the movie theater, infinity Hall, the Apartment building and maybe a couple eateries move into the complex, I see the potential for a decent development at the Hartford times building. Again mixed use with apartments etc... If this were to happen I think it would just be a matter of time before the sliver of land next to the whitehead would be developed, and the striplall would therefore be redeveloped with a higher use.

no guarantees, but if in the end we get 115 apartments Near the Elks, and 100+ more at Hartford times, the overall project would not be an abject failure. especially if the entertainment district were to "stick"

I still hate it though!

[beerbeer]

It only took 52 years to have someone propose apartments at Constitution Plaza ( should have been day one).

[The Voice of Reason]

Yeah, and they are just proposed, not built.

I wanted to put this link here too because if we are getting 115 apartments above 16,000SF of retail, it would be pretty simular to the project in the link a 106 unit over 12,000SF

its in Minneapolis, where their apartment boom makes ours look pathetic.

http://m.startribune...d=140248383&c=y

Edited February 25, 2012 by The Voice of Reason