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COMPLETED: The Hollander Foundation Center AKA 410 Asylum


MadVlad

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Nahh, I went out at something around lunch time. the streets were busy, but if you look at the Trumbull St shots, you will see busy outdoor seating :)

Hartford has so many more outdoor seats now compared to last summer.

and that picture from the best westerns site was not supposed to be in here. I replaced it with the correct photo.

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  • 3 months later...

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410 Asylum Street in Hartford - Affordable Housing That's Green

By DAVID FUNKHOUSER {sodEmoji.|}The Hartford Courant

On the roof, a covering of green plants will keep things cool. Far below, a hulking former Connecticut Bank & Trust Co. vault might be cooling wine for a new restaurant. An art gallery and small stores could fill the gap left by Clinton's Pianos and other businesses long gone from the landmark Neoclassical Revival building across from Hartford's Bushnell Park.

Workers are busy tromping around five floors of old brick walls, brass ornamentation and marble paneling to frame 70 apartments. They're installing energy-efficient windows, a state-of-the-art heating and cooling operation and a central recycling system.

By the end of next year, new residents — secretaries, artists, shop clerks and others earning modest incomes — will be able to walk to jobs downtown or to public transit at Union Station.Common Ground, the nonprofit agency developing the $22.2 million project, says it will be the first affordable housing built downtown in a generation. People making $25,000 to $38,000 a year will be able to rent 56 of the units for $765 to $995 a month. The 14 "market-rate" apartments will average $1,400 a month.

http://www.courant.com/community/news/hfd/...0,1966252.story

The article fails to mention the greenest part of 410 Asylum - that it's located in a city. Anyway, what a great project.

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410 Asylum Street in Hartford - Affordable Housing That's Green

By DAVID FUNKHOUSER {sodEmoji.|}The Hartford Courant

On the roof, a covering of green plants will keep things cool. Far below, a hulking former Connecticut Bank & Trust Co. vault might be cooling wine for a new restaurant. An art gallery and small stores could fill the gap left by Clinton's Pianos and other businesses long gone from the landmark Neoclassical Revival building across from Hartford's Bushnell Park.

Workers are busy tromping around five floors of old brick walls, brass ornamentation and marble paneling to frame 70 apartments. They're installing energy-efficient windows, a state-of-the-art heating and cooling operation and a central recycling system.

By the end of next year, new residents

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I love this place.

If this project were not happening I would be depressed about Hartford in the current econemy, but seriously, With this in progress I feel like we are at least still making progress. lets hope something else gets going before this one finishes up.

retail in this project begins to become available in Feb the article says

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With this in progress I feel like we are at least still making progress.

Exactly, we're moving forward. It also helps that the project is pure gain (and little could be improved) - the Science Center is similar.

lets hope something else gets going before this one finishes up.

95/101 Pearl and the Broadcast House should keep us busy. And Front Street will give everyone something to complain about.

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95/101 Pearl and the Broadcast House should keep us busy. And Front Street will give everyone something to complain about.

I hope something happens @ the Pearl. The city was expecting a proposal by now and nothing has materialized. I would assume the developer is having some trouble with financing, but I wonder if its just the design process, or a little foot dragging that is slowing this down. The city had some pretty strict rules attatched to the transfer of that property. and well, they did do the transfer so I can only hope we will see something.

Broadcast House I have faith in, but it seems to be in its early stages, so who knows when anything will happen.

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I hope something happens @ the Pearl. The city was expecting a proposal by now and nothing has materialized. I would assume the developer is having some trouble with financing, but I wonder if its just the design process, or a little foot dragging that is slowing this down. The city had some pretty strict rules attatched to the transfer of that property. and well, they did do the transfer so I can only hope we will see something.

Broadcast House I have faith in, but it seems to be in its early stages, so who knows when anything will happen.

Unfortunately, someone in zoning told me last week the Pearl project is dead. No financing available.

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I love this place.

If this project were not happening I would be depressed about Hartford in the current econemy, but seriously, With this in progress I feel like we are at least still making progress. lets hope something else gets going before this one finishes up.

retail in this project begins to become available in Feb the article says

I'm a little skeptical about the retail there. I mean, the Retail in H21 is still vacant so it doesn't seem like a grand desire for new retail space.

In spite of that, the apartments opening is tres exciting!

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Damn, that sucks.

Tycoon, I had a long conversation with someone who has been in zoning for years. He told me that it is so difficult and time consuming to develop anything in Hartford, its amazing anything gets done. He is a part of the process and she told me that there are far too many agencies and red tape involved. He said that suburban towns land businesses that leave Hartford because it is infinitely easier to build and do business in the suburbs. He told me that when the suburbs saw opportunities with WFSB, ING, etc,.. they swoop in, say "when do you want to get started?" and make a deal and get started in a fraction of the time it takes in Hartford. He also cited examples of Blue Back Square and Evergreen Walk getting planned, built and opened in the time many projects in Hartford are still being talked about. I asked about Kyto and he said "perfect example..."

The city of Hartford is its own worst enemy. Things need to change.

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I'm a little skeptical about the retail there. I mean, the Retail in H21 is still vacant so it doesn't seem like a grand desire for new retail space.

In spite of that, the apartments opening is tres exciting!

Hartford 21 has had many interested retail tenants. The problem is the rents are so much higher than the rest of downtown, no one will go near it.

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Tycoon, I had a long conversation with someone who has been in zoning for years. He told me that it is so difficult and time consuming to develop anything in Hartford, its amazing anything gets done. He is a part of the process and she told me that there are far too many agencies and red tape involved. He said that suburban towns land businesses that leave Hartford because it is infinitely easier to build and do business in the suburbs. He told me that when the suburbs saw opportunities with WFSB, ING, etc,.. they swoop in, say "when do you want to get started?" and make a deal and get started in a fraction of the time it takes in Hartford. He also cited examples of Blue Back Square and Evergreen Walk getting planned, built and opened in the time many projects in Hartford are still being talked about. I asked about Kyto and he said "perfect example..."

The city of Hartford is its own worst enemy. Things need to change.

Tell me about it. I really wish our last Mayoral election could have produced one. Maybe mayor Mike will be up to it next election and we can actually put meaningful reforms into place. Hartford should be the most business friendly municipality in the entire region. If you want to open a reasonable business in Hartford and have a means to get the financing, there should really be no obstacles.

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Tell me about it. I really wish our last Mayoral election could have produced one. Maybe mayor Mike will be up to it next election and we can actually put meaningful reforms into place. Hartford should be the most business friendly municipality in the entire region. If you want to open a reasonable business in Hartford and have a means to get the financing, there should really be no obstacles.

It is so incredibly obvious that the system works against the city.

My thoughts, that I think I have posted here before run towards preperation.

If we want anything to happen here we need to make packages with little bows on them. The city needs to go out and change the zoning on our flat parking lots and set caviots on how they are to be developed.

as an example, the society for savings lot should have minimum requirements, and should have a basic outline for all the basics like parking and street interaction, and even appearance. as far as the details those would be worked out the usual way. but it is my opinion that the city should have a location ready to go for any company that might want to move to Hartford, or that might want to move out of hartford for that matter either. kind of like a pre-approved HQ location.

If for example the rules made it so as of today every building that needed to be preserved were marked as such, and every facade that needed preserving were marked as such, and say that the style and look f any pedestal were determined, and a minimum height and a maximum height leaving essentially a perfect "foundation" for anything that were to be proposed on that lot. So that if any developer came along and struck a deal with Konover they could just say "40 story HQ office tower" or 30 story condo, or both.

Even better if say UTC said we need a new HQ in 2 years or we are leaving to Bloomfield or whatevern like ING did, the city would have a plan in place.

the city could just say... ok here is your location, and it is pre-approved for an office tower of at least 30 stories and as high as 50 stories containing between 400,000-900,000 SF the tower and me anywhere on the lot within certain restrictions. the building needs 800 parking spaces mostly underground, and the building has to be red brick and match the surrounding low rise buidings at 4-8 stories and appear as individual buildings from the street scape. bla bla.

Tell them they can start site prep as soon as they come to an agreement with Konnover, and work out the details of the tower while the pedestal is being surveyed and excavated.

Hell every city should have a HQ site ready to roll.

and they should have a tax package in place depending on the number of new jobs brought to the area etc.

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Having some insight into the process, I will say Hartford is pretty good job right now with its resources. Just because the suburbs just don't care what gets built in their town as long as they get businesses on the tax rolls doesn't mean Hartford should do the same thing. This type of effort would have to come from the state. People who criticize Hartford with the expertise they have employed just do not get it. As long as Jodi Rell is governor, expect more sprawl and little help for Hartford.

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  • 5 weeks later...

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news7400.html?Type=search

a little more press about our only residential project in the works

Affordable housing downtown moving closer to reality

You can't tell it from outside, but inside 410 Asylum St., the transformation of the former downtown commercial building into 70 apartments is moving briskly.

Once home to one of Hartford's largest banks, the upper floors of the six-story Hollander Foundation Center

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http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news7400.html?Type=search

a little more press about our only residential project in the works

Affordable housing downtown moving closer to reality

You can't tell it from outside, but inside 410 Asylum St., the transformation of the former downtown commercial building into 70 apartments is moving briskly.

Once home to one of Hartford's largest banks, the upper floors of the six-story Hollander Foundation Center

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  • 1 month later...

it needs to be said that this is now officially my new favorite building in Hartford.

the woman from the foundation will be bringing some interesting, essential, and truely urban establishments to downtown Hartford.

she said a lot of stuff, but is not blowing smoke.

as landlords they really want to bring new and interesting retail to this building.

no leases signed, but she mentioned trying to get a grocery store(cheap rent) and zipcar among others.

they saved the entire lobby, so its oldschool as heck. the old retail stuff is really neet too, but I am sure that will be cleaned up and removed, but the old back was really cool. I so want to go downstairs to the vault.

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Just not the one you think.

http://www.courant.c...rocery.artdec23,0,2998981.story

I gotta say I am not suprised at all. After my tour of the Hollander building this summer and meeting the people working on it I felt confident that they would deliver everything they were after.

This was the HYPE on downtown development event I went to.

They also spoke of a bakery as well as a craft kind of store(pottery) and a ZIP car location

It will be very interesting to see what develops. the hollander people were very impressive, and the head of leasing lives in the building. that should tell you the commitment they have.

This city will rock in 5 years I tell ya! (assuming all the train lines proposed are built)

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From the Courant

The store — in street-level space once occupied by a branch of the old Connecticut Bank & Trust, with the old vault still in the basement — would serve a range of income groups, not just upscale shoppers. Construction to repair walls and prepare the shell of the 5,000-square-foot storefront is beginning. Common Ground says there are several serious candidates to operate the store, but declined to name them. "Everyone knows that building," said Rosanne Haggerty, Common Ground's founder and a West Hartford native. "We envision a green grocer that sells flowers, has prepared foods, fresh fruit, tables, Wi-Fi."

Is the building renting apartments yet?

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