Saving a West End Home: Living History

Note: This post continues the Saving a West End Home Series. Homes in the West End have seen multiple generations come and go. They have been the backdrop for many stories as the neighborhood evolved through different historical eras. Some of the properties have been passed down within a family for multiple generations. Others have been converted from one use to another, like turning a large single family home in to a rooming house. Basic

Saving a West End Home: Preparing for the Future

Note: This post continues the Saving a West End Home series. Not everything in a historic home is worth saving. Consider the furnace. Does anyone want to live in a house with a 105 year old furnace? Especially if it was completely preserved in original condition? It’s possible that someone might, but most buyers and homeowners would prefer to have a modern furnace generating their heat. Not only is it more efficient, it’s also safer.

Saving a West End Home

Historic preservation is a labor of love, with individuals and small groups fighting to restore pieces of our collective past. Two families in Hartford’s West End, the Kleins and the Winkleys, have stepped up to personally commit their resources and talents to revitalize a historic home in their neighborhood. By the time they’re finished, the team will have transformed a poorly maintained and out-of-date structure into a brand new Shingle style home circa 1905. For