Archive for the 'Architecture' Category
Buh-Bye Butt Ugly?
Yesterday, Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra announced the City’s intention to acquire and demolish the building on corner of Main and Trumbull. He noted that it is a “critically important project” and is “an economic development priority for a number of reasons.” David Panagore, Hartford COO and Director of Development Services, said that they expect to have a purchase agreement in place by Thursday and are prepared to begin eminent domain action if needed.
Exciting news, but we’ve heard this before. The Butt Ugly building is a landmark building in Hartford – it desperately needs to be taken down. Visible from the highway, the dilapidated structure says something about the capital city to everyone who drives by, and especially those never get off the highway.
We were surprised by the announcement and are hopeful that this time it will happen. Thanks for getting the ball rolling, Mayor Segarra!
Downtown Sights and Sites
There is a lot going on in Downtown Hartford these days. Here are just a few of the activities and projects currently scheduled and underway.
The PGA Tour comes to Greater Hartford in a couple weeks for the Travelers Championship. One fantastic way to get involved is to check out the Tee It Up for Charity event on Thursday the 24th. It’s basically a big party with live music, a silent auction, and a mini-tournament on the practice facility. All money raised goes to The First Tee Connecticut.
Abul Islam and AI Engineers is building a green office building at the site of the former Broadcast House on Constitution Plaza, to be called the AI Tech Center. At this point the old building has come down, and they are reported to be looking for tenants in order to secure construction financing. Interested in meeting and talking with Mr. Islam? Sign up for the HYPE Entrepreneur Success Stories event on June 22nd in which he is the featured guest.
Front Street continues to plug along, though leasing is lagging construction. They have the exteriors of the buildings in good shape and the sidewalks down. Who will sign up to be the first tenants?
Finally, the Wadsworth Atheneum is undergoing some renovations, which includes some work on the roof.
Demolition in Detroit
Friday’s Wall Street Journal article about the demolition of historic homes in Detroit came at an interesting time. The previous evening we had attended the Hartford Preservation Alliance awards event, a gathering to celebrate the architectural history of our city and the efforts of community members to restore and reuse buildings rather than knock them down.
Detroit has a rich architectural history, as can be seen on sites like Forgotten Detroit and Detroit1701.org. Some of the historical homes are currently in use, and in good condition, while others appear to be abandoned. The city has lost a substantial number of residents over the past 50 years and there are apparently blocks with few inhabited houses. A piece on the Land+Living site from 2006 shows some images of Detroit’s residential landscape.
The WSJ article raises an important question that we face here in Hartford too … how much should we preserve? Is preserving the exterior sufficient? Is bulldozing ever the right thing to do?
Houses are large, and they’re expensive to maintain. This makes preserving them much more difficult than paintings, sculptures, or other works of art. However, like a work of art, each house is often unique since it reflects the site on which it was built and may have been customized for the owner. Therefore homes are different from cars, stamps, or guns, where having one example of each “model” could be considered sufficient.
I like to think of myself as a practical, if not pragmatic, person. Houses need to be functional; otherwise they’re not going to survive. I think that older homes should evolve over time to meet the needs of modern society. They need regular maintenance, and the best way to achieve that is by continuing to serve their primary role as a shelter and an oasis from the outside world. However, in making the updates property owners have a responsibility to make changes within the spirit and character of their home. They should make historically appropriate choices as often as possible.
The larger challenge is when neighborhoods and regions evolve. This is the primary issue that Detroit faces, and is also a relevant topic in the City of Hartford. What happens when it no longer makes economic sense for homeowners to maintain and restore their property? Or a block of properties? Or an entire neighborhood?
Detroit has chosen to sacrifice some of their history in an effort to move their city forward. Without living in the area and experiencing their problems first-hand, it’s difficult to fully understand that decision. I can only imagine the intense debate that led up to the final demolition orders. Mayor Bing’s State of the City address on March 23, 2010 outlines Detroit’s major challenges and initiatives, of which the demolition program is just a small piece.
It’s always sad to see grand old homes in disrepair – you can still see their beauty shining through the years of neglect. At some point taking them down may be the only option. Hopefully here in Hartford we can continue working to protect our historic properties as we confront many of the same challenges as Detroit, just on a smaller scale.