Hartford developments that never happened

[The Voice of Reason]

9-6-87

IN THE REGION: CONNECTICUT AND WESTCHESTER; Office Construction Booming in Hartford

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1DD113EF935A3575AC0A961948260

I.D.C. Sarl, a developer based in Paris, expects to break ground next spring for Place Lafayette, the most spectacular project yet proposed for the city. Its first phase, covering one-third of the project's 20 acres of what is now freight yards at the juncture of Interstates 91 and 84 at the north end of downtown, will consist of up to 1.5 million square feet of office and retail space, a convention center, a 250-room luxury hotel, 300 expensive condominiums and parking for 3,000 cars. ''The rest will take 10 or more years and be market-driven,'' said Guy Flichy, president of Sarl.

12-6-87

POSTINGS; New Hartford Tower: A 770-Foot Champion

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0D81F3BF935A35751C1A961948260

12-27-87

New England's Tallest: Hartford Tower

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7DD173CF934A15751C1A961948260

The actual $350 million project, named Cutter Financial Center, is expected to break ground in February and take two and a half years to complete. It will be a 59-story, 1.9 million-square-foot tower on a site bounded by Lewis, Trumbull and Pearl Streets in downtown Hartford. Its height, 878 feet, will make it the tallest building in New England, eclipsing the John Hancock building in Boston, which is 790 feet tall.

4-26-88

The Talk of Hartford; A Heated Race to Be New England's Tallest

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1D9163FF930A15757C0A96E948260

180 Allyn Street: 46 Story building increased planned height to 801 ft to be taller than the 790 ft John Handcock Tower in Boston.

Society for savings building: 45 Story building Main Street

Cutter Financial Center: 59 Stories 878 Feet tall mixed use was approved and looking for financing.

5-22-88

IN THE REGION: Connecticut and Westchester; Can Hartford Beat the Housing Squeeze?

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE5DB1431F931A15756C0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Lots of info on the Park Place development.

In 1990 and 1991, two condominium projects will provide additional dwellings priced at $135,000 to $1.5 million. Renaissance Place, to be built by the Associated Development Corporation at Sheldon and Prospect Streets, will contain 87 units plus ground-floor shops and 275,000 square feet of offices in 14 stories. A 29-story building with 202 units overlooking Bushnell Park is to be built by M.O.N.Y. and the Hartford Development Group. Neither project will break ground until late this year.

Eventually, the 33-acre development at Park Place is expected to contain one million square feet of office space in two buildings, up to 900 apartments and a hotel. The first 25-story residential tower containing 180 apartments opened a year ago and is 90 percent rented. A second tower of 270 units opened two weeks ago.

John Scobie, a vice president of the Largo Group of Greenwich and Hartford, development manager and co-owner of the project with Xerox Realty Corporation of Stamford, said: ''We are negotiating with a hotel chain for a 260 unit, all-suite hotel. If that materializes we will build one 220-unit condominium tower. If the hotel does not work out, an additional condominium tower will be built instead.''

Construction is to begin this spring on a second office tower of 600,000 square feet, which is scheduled to open in 1991.

''One advantage of living or working here is parking,'' Mr. Scobie said. Plans call for up to 4,000 parking spaces, of which 1,800 are already in use.

7-1-93

PRO FOOTBALL; Hartford May Try to Lure Patriots

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...754C0A965958260

9-27-01

PATRIOTS SIGN DEAL TO MOVE TO HARTFORD

http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/130309/p...ove-to-hartford

The $530 million stadium and convention centre project also includes a $50 million hotel to be financed by Kraft, a former paper industry tycoon who bought the NFL team in 1994. The deal calls for the Patriots to stay in Hartford for 30 years, and to move team headquarters and administrative offices to Connecticut's capital city of 130,000.

3-12-93

Casino Developer Tries One Hard Sell: Hartford

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...750C0A964958260

Mirage Resorts wants to build a $350 million resort casino and convention center in the middle of all that.

1-1-84

This one is from back in 1984 and highlights the developments around the civic center (city place, hilton) But also mentions 2 other projects that never happened. in fact the one building that was trying to build an addition ended up being torn down.

OFFICE GROWTH CHANGING THEFACE OF HARTFORD

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07E7DA1238F932A35752C0A962948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Stacked by his window are renderings of Mr. Gordon's own project, on which work is just beginning a block and a half away. It is a $100 million development that will include three office buildings up to 20 stories tall, an underground parking garage and retail shops along State Street.

Peter M. Savin, the owner of a 14-story office building at 60 Washington Street, which was built in 1969, proposed adding 16 stories to the existing building and two more levels to an abutting six-level parking garage. The cost of expanding the main structure to a 30- story building to be enclosed in a new amber skin would be about $25 million. The expanded building would be renamed One Connecticut Center.

The Zoning Board of Appeals voted to allow the expansion, but late in October a majority of the City Council voted to appeal the action, contending that the expansion would exceed the neighborhood's building density limits.

[mikel]

Sad pictures from a sad time. I'm glad these projects weren't built, but what they did to tear beautiful buildings down for them is just disgusting.

[MadVlad]

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ currently looking for the nearest cliff to jump off of....

[The Voice of Reason]

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ currently looking for the nearest cliff to jump off of....

Vlad, no need to jump. these articles are just the tip of the iceberg. I bet, rather I know that most cities have long lists of What ifs? Hartfords are pretty damn big for a city its size, but the fact is that all of the things that made these proposals happen are still viable in hartford. still in play if you will.

The insurance companies are growing in hartford again. sure we lost some and we had crazy turmoil, but hartford still has the biggest ones, and they are hiring like mad. Look at travelers recent rentals in Hartford. Aetnas investment, and the Hartford getting ready to expand their campus.

we do never know of course, but all it takes is one more growing company downtown and we have an office crunch. (meaning that if MetLife or ING did not leave we would be looking pretty good right now. and the fact that they stayed close is a great sign)

[Chessplayer]

Sad pictures from a sad time. I'm glad these projects weren't built, but what they did to tear beautiful buildings down for them is just disgusting.

Surely you don't disagree that those buildings would have been better than the parking lots we have now? Besides, say what you want about Society Center and Metro Center II, but CFC was an enlightened mixed use development: lower floors for office and upper floors for residences, with the bonus of it having a truly high quality design.

[The Voice of Reason]

Surely you don't disagree that those buildings would have been better than the parking lots we have now? Besides, say what you want about Society Center and Metro Center II, but CFC was an enlightened mixed use development: lower floors for office and upper floors for residences, with the bonus of it having a truly high quality design.

one of the crazy things is that Cutter was projected to cost over $350 million. This was to be a true world class building. If built today that surely cost over 1 Billion.

If anyone has any other articles I want to add them here. there were so many things I dont have on here

[Mr. Brass Bonanza]

This hurts. What have we done to you to deserve such treatment?

[The Voice of Reason]

what I like about this picture is what was planned and what happened. Also city place I looks tiny compared to those big 3 proposals.

You can see that a larger version of City place II was built as was the Goodwin tower, and a larger version of 100 Pearl. Also looking that this what if picture you can see the parking lot where Metrocenter II was proposed in the foreground.

I am actually looking to collect info on all of the what ifs and do a building by building post.

Yeah I really am this much of an addict and at the same time an insomniac.

[The Voice of Reason]

Mikel,

This one is for you

Published: May 14, 1989

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...756C0A96F948260

The Society for Savings, a major bank, wants to erect a 45-story office tower, which would be the tallest in the city, at 855 Main Street. The 700-foot-high building would cost $300 million and produce over a million square feet of commercial space. The original target for completion was 1992.

[Chessplayer]

This picture looks very cool...but at the same time this is not a city. Aside from CFC, this is simply a vertical office park; there's not a single residential building in the entire photo. The neighborhoods surrounding downtown have been destroyed for parking so there's no continuity with the rest of the city. This is Houston circa 1970 in Connecticut.

[The Voice of Reason]

This picture looks very cool...but at the same time this is not a city. Aside from CFC, this is simply a vertical office park; there's not a single residential building in the entire photo. The neighborhoods surrounding downtown have been destroyed for parking so there's no continuity with the rest of the city. This is Houston circa 1970 in Connecticut.

If all of those buildings were built Hartford would be missing almost nothing. the only differences I can think of would be maybe society for savings. were they going to knock down the rest of the Pratt street buildings? that might be 100 units max.

Cutter was supposed to have about 150 condo units up top correct? That replaces the housing built on that location since with trumbull on the park.

so really the sad truth is that Hartford is and has been an office park. the difference is that our sexy parking lots would be parking garages underneath skyscrapers.

[Chessplayer]

If all of those buildings were built Hartford would be missing almost nothing. the only differences I can think of would be maybe society for savings. were they going to knock down the rest of the Pratt street buildings? that might be 100 units max.

Cutter was supposed to have about 150 condo units up top correct? That replaces the housing built on that location since with trumbull on the park.

so really the sad truth is that Hartford is and has been an office park. the difference is that our sexy parking lots would be parking garages underneath skyscrapers.

I did not mean to suggest that today's downtown is better than the downtown of that photo. Of course Hartford would be better off with those buildings; at the same time if they were all to magically *poof* into existence downtown Hartford would still be plagued with the same problems we have today: lack of urban continuity, lack of retail/amenities, and lack of people. On this I think we agree.

[MichaelQReilly]

I did not mean to suggest that today's downtown is better than the downtown of that photo. Of course Hartford would be better off with those buildings; at the same time if they were all to magically *poof* into existence downtown Hartford would still be plagued with the same problems we have today: lack of urban continuity, lack of retail/amenities, and lack of people. On this I think we agree.

I think that its a pretty fair assumption that had all those buildings been built, there is no way that all of that commercial space would be full today. So likely, we would have several notable buildings ripe to be transformed into residential. Whether this would have actually happened is an intriguing what if, but that said, I'm glad it didn't happen. All those 80's era towers did a singularly awful job of interacting with the city at street level. For examples of this, see: City Place, Goodwin Square, the Prudential Building, the Uniprise Building, etc. It may take another 30 years, but whenever the lots where those buildings were supposed to be get filled in, we will at least get functional urban buildings, not more fortress-like office towers that earned Hartford its "filing cabinet" appellation.

[The Voice of Reason]

Corporate Elite A Fading Force Over Hartford

9-7-92

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0D91239F934A3575AC0A964958260&scp=9&sq=new+hartford+office+proposal&st=nyt

OK, now I am just searching the NY times archive looking for good articles on Hartford.

Rumors floated through Hartford for months this summer that the financially troubled Hartford Whalers hockey team would be rescued by a familiar white knight: Aetna Life and Casualty.

As Hartford's largest employer and longest-running local booster, Aetna would simply not allow the city's only major-league sports team to go under or be wooed away, or so people said.

Patriots Are Set to Announce Move to Downtown Hartford

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...osal&st=nyt

Gov. John G. Rowland of Connecticut and the owner of the New England Patriots scheduled a news conference at the Capitol today to announce an agreement to move the National Football League team from Massachusetts to downtown Hartford, a spokesman for the Governor said this morning.

Connecticut officials have agreed to build a stadium for the owner, Robert K. Kraft, in return for 10 percent of its revenues over the 30 years of the agreement. The stadium is expected to take two to three years to build, meaning that the first games would be played in the stadium in 2001. The league would have to approve any move by the Patriots.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...osal&st=nyt

more on the Pats move

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...osal&st=nyt

this one is about the pats being "saved" in Mass

The building boom in Tollad. Hartfords sprawl circa 11-16-1986

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...osal&st=nyt

interesting article about the sprawl in Tolland!

In the Region: Connecticut and Westchester; The Hartford Builds on Spec in Hometown

Published: April 7, 1991

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...ford&st=nyt

This is about the Hartford building an office on Spec, and what was happening in 1991

The general contractor went out of business midway through construction and apprehension over the economy and the city's stagnant real estate market gave the builder, the Hartford Insurance Group, some anxious moments. But the company completed the 272,000-square-foot structure at a cost of $40 million.

The 12-story building, at the corner of Farmington Avenue and Flower Street, is the Hartford's first speculative venture in its home city, after developing more than 5.5 million square feet of office space in 20 other communities. The company will occupy 12,000 square feet and U.S. Travel Systems, a Hartford corporate-travel agency, has taken 20,000 square feet through the Farley Company, leasing agents. Rents will range from $14 to $17 a square foot for unfinished space.

This is a really interesting story of how things fell apart for Hartford, so I am pasting a bit extra

A $100 million World Trade Center lost its franchise and the new franchise was issued to Bridgeport. The planned 51-story $250 million Cutter Financial Center is believed to have been taken over by John W. Galbreath Company of Columbus, Ohio. Neither developer responded to phone calls.

Plans for the Society for Savings' 1.2 million square feet of offices between Pratt and Asylum Streets are not expected to be resuscitated for three to five years. In the meantime, Robert A. Firger, senior vice-president of the bank, said the bank was talking to the city about creating a park or "other attractive street activity" that would not be permanent or affect its future building plans

[The Voice of Reason]

ABOUT REAL ESTATE;

HARTFORD TO GET HOUSING NEAR DOWNTOWN SECTION

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E4DA1738F931A25754C0A963948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Although long considered the insurance industry's capital city, until a few years ago there was no significant commercial development in Hartford, and its skyline went unchanged. Today the city is a boom town by anybody's standards. In the last three years it has seen more than three million square feet of office space rise in its central business district.

But until recently there was little new housing for the inner city's expanding work force and those who want to live close to their jobs. Last month, however, two new residential construction projects, to be built just beyond the central business district, were announced.

One, to be called The Towers at Park Place, is an ambitious complex that is expected to be the largest private housing development ever built in the state. When completed, its rents will be priced for middle-income single people and small families. The other project, being developed by a subsidiary of the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company, will be a 100-unit condominium high-rise with asking prices that will match the most expensive apartments in the Hartford area.

In East Hartford, across the Connecticut River from downtown Hartford, is the 2.1-acre site for the condominium residence to be built by Phoenix Founders. The 16-story tower will contain 22 one-bedroom apartments, 66 two-bedroom units and 15 penthouses. Prices will range from $150,000 to $300,000. A zoning change for the site from industrial to residential use is required before building can start, but Phoenix Mututal expects to break ground by November.

If this project is a success, a second tower is planned for the site.

that last bit is my favorite part.

too bad it never happened, and too bad that the people in this building have resisted further river front buildings.

[T52]

too bad it never happened, and too bad that the people in this building have resisted further river front buildings.

Having survived the construction of the concrete structure for that building, I'm not sad that phase II never got off the ground. The project was planned and sold to condo owners as a $20million building but because of the time that it took to put it together and the high inflation, it ended up as a $30million building delivered well behind schedule as parties involved struggled to control costs. Buyers backed out and the previously brisk Hartford market softened. It was not a happy experience but rather a good education.

[The Voice of Reason]

Having survived the construction of the concrete structure for that building, I'm not sad that phase II never got off the ground. The project was planned and sold to condo owners as a $20million building but because of the time that it took to put it together and the high inflation, it ended up as a $30million building delivered well behind schedule as parties involved struggled to control costs. Buyers backed out and the previously brisk Hartford market softened. It was not a happy experience but rather a good education.

Interesting perspective.

I suppose my interest in a twin is more in the result of a larger residential population and therefore market downtown. The specifics of the parties involved not withstanding. I wish cutter was built but am sure it would have lost many people many millions, but the city would have been the better for it(i think)

I do hope that further development happens on the EW Hartford waterfront. In my opinion there is real opportunity for a line of condos along the river with nice city views, and added use to the riverfront park leading down to goodwins new campus.

[The Voice of Reason]

Dennis House thing I found by accident.

http://dennishouse.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/what-hartford-might-have-bee/