Stowe House moves closer to designation as national historic landmark

The nomination of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House for national historic landmark status cleared another hurdle in Washington last week, with the National Historic Landmark Committee giving its unanimous approval and sending the nomination on to the National Park System Advisory Board.

The Advisory Board must now make its recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior, who has the final say.  

According to the National Park Service, fewer than 2,500 places in the U.S. have historic landmark designation. It is reserved for places that "possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States." Among other things, a national historic landmark designation can open the door to grants, tax incentives, and technical preservation assistance from the federal government.

Connecticut's two senators, Joseph I. Lieberman and Richard Blumenthal, along with 1st District Congressman John B. Larson, issued statements expressing their continued support of the effort.

"Harriet Beecher Stowe left an indelible mark on American history, and through the preservation of her house in Hartford, current and future generations can come to learn and appreciate her extraordinary accomplishments and the lasting legacy they have had," Larson said.

Here's the National Park Service's nomination of the Stowe house, complete with historic and current photographs (PDF, 40 pages). Here's a two-page summary (PDF.) And here's a list of the Connecticut properties that have won designation (PDF, 3 pages.)

Norwich Hospital is another lesson in historic preservation; will we learn this time?

The deterioration of the century-old Norwich Hospital campus, so well documented in Ed Mahony's news story in Sunday's Hartford Courant and amplified in an accompanying opinion piece by Tom Condon, is a devastating lesson on what can go wrong when a government – in this case, the state of Connecticut – ignores or skimps on the preservation of its historic properties.

For those of us in Hartford, it's a bit of déjà vu, since we just endured the destruction of the remaining walls of the historic Second North School on High Street, which had deteriorated while the city and its contractor dithered on incorporating them into a new public safety complex on the site. (For more on that, see preservationist Bill Hosley's May 9 op-ed piece, also in the Courant.)

When it comes to state buildings, Condon calls on the legislature to create a protocol for maintaining the ones that are historic but not in use at the moment. ''Let's start with the premise that when the state builds a building, it takes responsibility for the structure from cradle to grave, groundbreaking to cleanup," he writes. But here's his most important point:

The key to saving historic buildings is to use them. Time is of the essence. If a building is judged surplus, and no other agency wants it, don't wait for it to be closed, get started. Assess the environmental situation and start the remediation.

Amen.

Fond memories of the brownstone life

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to live in one of the historic brownstone houses along Capitol Avenue, check out today's blog entry from Dennis House, news anchor for WFSB-TV. Dennis and his wife, Kara Sundlun (also an anchor at the station), have sold their brownstone, and Dennis writes movingly about their time there. He notes that the first owner of the house, in 1871, was eventual Connecticut Supreme Court Justice William Hamersley. But best of all, he supplies some fantastic photos. Best of luck to Dennis, Kara, and family.

Preservation grants for three Hartford locations

Organizations operating in three historic buildings in Hartford will receive grants that will help them to preserve the buildings while also improving their energy efficiency, according to state Senator John W. Fonfara of Hartford.

The grants, funded by the state General Assembly, the Connecticut Humanities Council, and the state Commission on Culture and Tourism, will go to:

• The Hispanic Health Council, which will receive $16,600 for the design of an energy- efficient heating and cooling system for its historic Main Street building, a contributing resource in the South Green National Register District.
  
  
• The Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery, which has been awarded $8,000 to conduct an assessment of the Charles B. Haskel House, one of a cluster of lots developed by Mrs. Samuel Colt between 1880 and 1900 along Wethersfield Avenue. The project seeks to preserve the historic attributes of the building while improving building efficiency and conserving energy.
  
  
• Immaculate Conception Shelter & Housing Corporation, which has been awarded $19,695 to draw up architectural plans and seek community input on an appropriate reuse of the former Immaculate Conception Church, an 1894 gothic revival design by Michael O’ Donohue in the Frog Hollow neighborhood.

“These initiatives will help keep history alive and relevant here in Hartford,” said Senator Fonfara. “All three grants will put people to work restoring historic buildings, and help these older structures to remain in use, environmentally friendly and productive in the city of today.” Full press release

How CNNMoney.com views Hartford

CNNMoney.com has ranked Hartford the country's fifth-best metropolitan area in which to launch a small business.  While that may have many of us scratching our heads--especially in light of near-daily bummers like the City Council's acknowledgment last week that the Project Mayor project planned for the vacant corner of Main and Park streets will never become reality--it's worth noting that CNNMoney.com repeatedly references the city's history:

"The past few years have seen new life--hotels, restaurants, a convention center and a science center--sprouting in the historic city, where you'll also find the country's first public art museum and oldest public park."

There's even a photo of the Old State House. It all speaks to the potential for using the Hartford area's history as a draw not just for visitors but new residents. Heck, it seems to be one of the positive attributes people already associate with us, so why not get the most out of it?

Saturday, May 2: Tour of Asylum Hill churches

Four historic churches on Asylum Hill, each with its own unique architecture, will be the focus of a Hartford Preservation Alliance walking tour: Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Asylum Avenue Baptist Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, and The Cathedral of Saint Joseph.

The tour, sponsored by the Women's Spirituality & Fellowship Committee of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 2, from the parking lot of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, at 814 Asylum Avenue. (Directions)

The tour will be given by Professor Dorothy Bosch Keller, chairperson of the Department of Fine Arts and Performing Arts at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford. The fee is $10.

For further information, contact the Hartford Preservation Alliance at 860.570.0331 or info@hartfordpreservation.org.

Thursday, May 7: Walking tour of the Ancient Burying Ground (and more)

Suggestion to Connecticut Landmarks' Butler-McCook House & Garden & Main Street History Center: Shorten your name.

That said, the mustard-colored house at 396 Main Street, opposite Capitol Avenue, will host some great events in conjunction with the next First Thursday:

-- A walking tour of the Ancient Burying Ground led by Ruth Shapleigh Brown, executive director of the Connecticut Gravestone Network. The Burying Ground, located near the corner of Main and Gold streets, is Hartford's oldest historic property. The tour will depart promptly from the Butler-McCook House at 3:15 and return by 4:30. It's a short walk.

-- A stone carving demonstration by Ty Tryon, board member of the Ancient Burying Ground Association and coordinator of conservation projects for historic gravestones. The demonstration will take place in the Victorian garden of Butler-McCook from 4:30 to 5:30.

-- A "history happy hour" from 5:30 to 7:30, featuring an exhibition of Ancient Burying Ground photographs by Hartford-based photojournalist Nick Lacy. Every stone in the graveyard was photographed for the exhibit, called "Stories in Stone." The happy hour will also feature Spanish, Latin, and classical music by guitarist Lorena Garay.

Everything is free, with donations suggested for wine and light refreshments.

The layers of history

Behold, the parking lot behind 18-20 Trinity Street in downtown Hartford. It's where I work, and walking past this exposed brickwork every day reminds me that all kinds of history in our fair city has been paved over, painted over, or otherwise covered up. (To be fair, though, my building still maintains a brick driveway.) The next time you walk past a street repair project, take a peek--from a safe distance--at what's being exposed. It might include some old trolley tracks, as happened a while back on Farmington Avenue, right in front of the Aetna.

New Blog Highlights Historic Buildings

If you're looking for photos and information on the Hartford area's most historic buildings, check out a blog called Historic Buildings of Connecticut, at historicbuildingsct.blogspot.com. It contains mini-profiles of dozens of buildings, including about 30 in Hartford.