Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch

This 1886 arch was built to honor Hartford soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War.

I usually focus on the unique overall form of the arch, but viewing it more closely gives me a chance to appreciate the detailed carvings.  In the center, note the stag, or "hart," the symbol of Hartford. 

Tudor

The owner of this stationery and novelty store became ill this winter.  The store shut down overnight, after anchoring an important location in West Hartford Center for decades.  We are all awaiting a new occupant.

The Tudor revival style became popular in greater Hartford around 1920.  We see it everywhere.

Connecticut Governor's Residence

Prospect Street runs north and south, dividing Hartford from West Hartford.  The Governor's Residence is on the Hartford side of the street.

Governor Rell is not running for re-election, so she leaves office in January.  The residence is badly in need of repairs and was scheduled for a significant renovation.  The governor's chief of staff canceled the work because she didn't want the governor to be disturbed by construction during her last six months in office.

The building badly needs refurbishment and upgrading, and the best time to do it politically is at the end of a governor's term.  No incoming office holder wants to be criticized for spending to preserve the governor's residence when the state is in tough shape and there are other priorities.  But, the outgoing governor wants it quiet (naps?), so the work will be deferred again, and the residence will continue to deteriorate.

Men Would Be Scarce

With Mark Twain and Noah Webster having strong Hartford ties, the developers of Blue Back Square naturally used quotations, words, letters, alphabets and other literary symbols as the theme for this area.

Blue Back Square

Blue Back Square is an area of perhaps 6 - 10 city blocks in West Hartford, which used to house several municipal buildings and abandoned automobile dealerships.  The developers cut a deal with the civic fathers to pay for relocation, reconfiguration and upgrading of the municipal buildings, in exchange for the right to develop the property more intensely.

On the right, you see part of the town's main library, financed and constructed by the developers, and on the left you see part of Barnes & Noble, the bookseller, with a courtyard between. Book borrowing on one side and book buying on the other . . . clever, isn't it?

BBS has retail stores, restaurants, services, apartments and condos, parking garages, a Whole Foods grocery store and even a small branch of Harford Hospital in a dense and walkable area.  The development was controversial initially, but now it is an essential part of the fabric of an expanded West Hartford Center.  I am a fan.

Why "Blue Back"?  West Hartford's Noah Webster published the Blue Back Speller in 1783, and most American children over the next century learned how to read and spell by using it.

Public Art

Ken Kahn is the former executive director of the Greater Hartford Arts Council, a non-profit organization that raises funds for the arts and heritage in central Connecticut.  It also produces arts and cultural events.

Hartford has an impressive inventory of monuments, sculptures, statues and other public art, much from the 19th century.  But, by the time Ken arrived in the late 1990s, budget pressures had all but eliminated new public art projects.  Ken breathed life into the effort, persuading and cajoling city and state officials, corporate leaders and private philanthropists to fund new art projects.  About 50 new pieces of public art in the past decade are Ken's legacy.

Ken is shown in the Ancient Burying Ground.  Behind him is a statue of one of Hartford's founders.  Ken was instrumental in raising funds for the statue as well as funds to clean up, restore and maintain the Ancient Burying Ground.

Hartford Whalers

Hartford doesn't have a major league professional sports team these days.  From 1979 to 1997, the Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League played here. 

Hartford has never forgiven team ownership for relocating the team to North Carolina, but there are still many Whalers fans who harbor hope that they will return some day.  There is a movement underway (too long to explain here) aimed at restoring the Whalers to Hartford. 

On Saturday, thousands of fans attended a special event at which former Whalers players were introduced to the fans and signed autographs.  The lines for autograph signings were loo-o-o-ng.  And, the loudspeakers blared Brass Bonanza, the team's theme song, continuously, which is nostalgic for many and annoying to others.  (I like it and the memories it stirs.)