Kinsley Street

[mikel]

Anyone know when and why this stretch was removed?

It's really too bad Hartford did not have any Jane Jacobs type to stop the insanity. These buildings were probably deemed "non-historic" and torn down for "progress". The progress that was made obviously progressively killed Hartford.

Here is the full image.

[The Voice of Reason]

Anyone know when and why this stretch was removed?

[Luca Brasi]

Not only was Kinsley St. removed, but they also removed State St. from Market to Main and made it a pedestrian walkway.

[T52]

Anyone know when and why this stretch was removed?

[jcrc]

What happened to the building between Sage Allen and the Brown Thompson building(Resident Marriott)?

Speaking of torn down old building...

[GHartford]

What happened to the building between Sage Allen and the Brown Thompson building(Resident Marriott)?

Speaking of torn down old building...

[Luca Brasi]

Hartford Public was founded in 1638 and is the second oldest high school in the country and WAS housed in arguably the nicest high school building in the US. What a loss for Hartford. How anyone could stand by and watch this treasure torn down (for a highway no less) is dumbfounding.

You can't really see because of the type in that postcard, but there was a huge clock in the closest tower.

[drc72]

What happened to the building between Sage Allen and the Brown Thompson building(Resident Marriott)?

Speaking of torn down old building...

[beerbeer]

The Hartford Democratic party had a great idea for a power grab -- and it worked. They torn down the old HPHS and relocated to the Nook Farm. To clear the way for the new HPHS, most of the Nook Farm homes were torn down. As the Nook Farm was a largely Republican area, this moved GOP voters out of the city and solidified Democrat power.

All it took was destroying the best neighborhood in the city.

[Luca Brasi]

Drive down Forest St. and look at some of the few Victorian mansions that remain from the Nook Farm days. Mark Twain House, Harriet Beecher Stowe house, and a few others that have been turned into office buildings. They are truly magnificent.

[drc72]

The Hartford Democratic party had a great idea for a power grab -- and it worked. They torn down the old HPHS and relocated to the Nook Farm. To clear the way for the new HPHS, most of the Nook Farm homes were torn down. As the Nook Farm was a largely Republican area, this moved GOP voters out of the city and solidified Democrat power.

All it took was destroying the best neighborhood in the city.

[penetcostal_iglesia_faith]

It's a shame what the Dems have done to this city with their destructive policies.

[Chessplayer]

Anyone know when and why this stretch was removed?

It's really too bad Hartford did not have any Jane Jacobs type to stop the insanity. These buildings were probably deemed "non-historic" and torn down for "progress". The progress that was made obviously progressively killed Hartford.

Here is the full image.

[mikel]

Sage Allen is historic; G-Fox is historic. Kinsley Street? From this photo the buildings look sort of run down and architecturally boring. I think SHS is a definite improvement.

[Chessplayer]

You're freaking kidding me right?? Have you seen pictures of State Street??? This is no improvement. State House Square was a terrible project. It removed all those storefronts, the Isle of Safety, State Street and its buried cobblestones, and most of the beautiful buildings, and replaced it with a mall. Office space is great, but this project is yet another that helped kill Hartford. Horrific project.

[Bill Mocarsky]

I'm not "freaking kidding" you. What you consider "beautiful" is a matter of opinion and I consider what I've seen of State St. and Kinsley St. to consist of mostly throwaway early 20th century architecture, certainly not on par with many of the absolute gems this city used to have (and still does) from that era. However it is fact that 900,000 sq. ft. of office space contributes significantly to the city's tax base, helps keep the region competitive, and helps maintain the corporate presence that has been the lifeblood of the city since well before those buildings even existed. For these reasons alone I'd rather have SHS; it's just an added bonus that they're quite attractive pieces of architecture; in fact I believe they've even won awards.

[beerbeer]

Say what you will, but at the very least, SHS works with the buildings around it. Its scale and color augment both the old State House and the Sage Allen Building.

[The Voice of Reason]

Say what you will, but at the very least, SHS works with the buildings around it. Its scale and color augment both the old State House and the Sage Allen Building.

[mikel]

State House Square is not one of the problems of the CBD in Hartford, but it had an undeniable role in the decline. It's a terrible place besides 9-5 on a weekday. That brick walkway is a waste. And the lack of storefronts is terrible.

[Luca Brasi]

I remember when State House Square opened as a mall trying to compete with Westfarms. I believe it was three stories with a food court on the top floor. It was a decent sized mall with your usual mall stores but it only lasted a few years. Then they converted the mall space to office space and moved the food court down to the first floor where it is today.

When you walk into SHS, you can still see the elevator that used to take you up to the upper floors of the mall. And where Mortons is was a restaurant called The Atrium which had an outdoor patio overlooking the Old State House that now sits empty.

[Luca Brasi]

State House Square is not one of the problems of the CBD in Hartford, but it had an undeniable role in the decline. It's a terrible place besides 9-5 on a weekday. That brick walkway is a waste. And the lack of storefronts is terrible.

[mikel]

[Luca Brasi]

Mike - thats not State St... thats Main St. Its the block that was demolished for The Society for Savings tower that is ow a vacant lot. The building with "Burt's" on the ground floor was the original 11 story Aetna building which was Hartford's first skyscraper.... demolished for a building that was never built. The American Airlines building can be seen (Smith & Wise dept. store at the time)

The building on the far right was an architectural gem that was torn donw for SHS. It was home to an optomotrist and had gargoyles that wore glasses.

[mikel]

Mike - thats not State St... thats Main St. Its the block that was demolished for The Society for Savings tower that is ow a vacant lot. The building with "Burt's" on the ground floor was the original 11 story Aetna building which was Hartford's first skyscraper.... demolished for a building that was never built.