Around the State: Hartford

Hartford.  The Hartford Financial Services Group announced in April that it will not demolish all of the former Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance headquarters, as announced last December (see CPN, March/April 2008). The Hartford plans to buy the 16-acre property on Garden Street in the summer, initially for parking but with the hope of eventual mixed-use development. After encountering opposition from neighborhood and preservation groups, the company decided to retain the oldest portion of the building, a Georgian Revival structure constructed in 1926. Neighbors would have liked to see more of the building saved, but Laura Knott-Twine, executive director of the Hartford Preservation Alliance said, “While we are disappointed that our dialogue has not resulted in a commitment to preserving the whole building, we are pleased that the company will make a commitment to preserving the front portion. We are also pleased that The Hartford is committed to continuing dialogue with HPA and others on matters of preservation and development.” HPA led the successful effort to preserve the building, bringing together city officials, Hartford residents, and the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, with assistance from the Connecticut Circuit Rider program. The building has been vacant since MassMutual Insurance abandoned it to consolidate operations in Enfield. A real estate partnership bought the property in 2006 but has been unable to redevelop it.