Historic Buildings of Connecticut

My latest Substack post is about a historic house that stood right on the site of Travelers Tower in Hartford. It went from being a private home in the nineteenth century to serving as the home of social clubs for two decades before it was torn down. The clubs were: The Colonial Club (which was there from when it was organized in 1895 until it merged with the Hartford Club in 1901), the Touro Club (a Jewish club that was there from 1901 until Travelers Insurance bought the house in 1914), and a brief tenure of the Travelers Club (1915-1916) before the house was torn down.

https://open.substack.com/pub/oldhartford/p/lost-historic-home-was-house-of-notable?r=4j8x6h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

My latest Substack post is about a factory complex in Hartford that grew from 1916 until it was finally demolished in 1997. Originally built by a Swedish company to make ball bearings, it was later greatly expanded by G. F. Heublein & Bro., the famous liquor and food company that brought Smirnoff Vodka and A.1. Steak Sauce to America. A cineplex built on the site recently closed and the property is again slated for redevelopment.

My latest Substack post is about a house that was built in the early 1820s by Henry L, Ellsworth (son of Founding Father Oliver Ellsworth). It stood on Prospect Street and from 1872 to 1907 was the headquarters of Travelers Insurance. It was torn down in 1931 to make way for the art deco Hartford Steam Boiler building. The image above contrasts the house before and after it was vastly enlarged by Travelers.
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldhartford/p/from-historic-home-to-insurance-hq?r=4j8x6h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Now available on YouTube: I participated in an America 250 panel that focused on the development of West Hartford. I presented a slide show focused on connections between Hartford and West Hartford. There is much content in this video about historic buildings and also the effects of restrictive zoning. https://youtu.be/OfvDdnXWjNg?si=NuPJf91HYwcH9pDx

My latest LIVE in-person presentation is about the Heublein Family, their Hartford liquor and food business that became known around the country, their downtown hotel and, of course, their famous Tower! It’s at the South Windsor Senior Center on Thursday, April 23 at 10:00 AM!

Please come to my next IN PERSON presentation about the Cheney Mansions of Manchester, Connecticut at the South Windsor CT Senior Center, 1:00 PM, Friday, March 27!

If you had visited Hartford’s Old State House during the days leading up to July 4, 1863 (the same period when the Battle of Gettysburg and Grant’s siege of Vicksburg were underway), you would have found two partially filled large balloons, awaiting the moment for their grand ascensions as part of the city’s Independence Day celebrations. One would be operated by Edwin C. Bassett, Hartford’s daring barber who was also a skilled hypnotist. Read my latest Substack to learn more about this and his other ballooning adventures! https://open.substack.com/pub/oldhartford/p/balloons-over-hartford-during-the?r=4j8x6h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true