Coltsville a National Historic Landmark at Last

The Coltsville historic district, in Hartford, officially became Connecticut’s newest National Historic Landmark on October 6, when Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne signed off on the listing. The district includes the factory of the Colt Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, founded by Samuel Colt to produce the revolvers he invented, as well as factory housing and other community buildings associated with the firm.

            The district is technically an expansion of the National Historic Landmark listing for Colt’s mansion, Armsmear, designated in 1966. The broader listing expands the focus beyond Colt himself to include the company’s technological and marketing innovations and its ongoing leadership in the armaments industry after Colt’s death, as well as other important figures associated with the company, including Elizabeth Colt, other company leaders and inventors, and the thousands of employees who worked there over nearly 100 years.

            The National Park Service initially turned Coltsville down because of concerns that the factory buildings, which are being converted to non-industrial uses, had lost their historic integrity (see CPN, November/December 2006). However, the agency reconsidered upon urging by Governor Jodi Rell, Senators Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman and Representative John Larson, and after the nomination was revised to make a stronger argument that the conversion work, which is being done to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Rehabilitation, substantially preserves the buildings’ historic appearance.

In addition to recognizing the extraordinary national importance of Coltsville, preservationists hope NHL status will boost the ongoing rehabilitation and redevelopment by Homes for America Holdings LLC and move the site one step closer to its hoped-for adoption as a national park.