291-293 Sargeant Street

Foreclosed, vacated and then damaged by a fire: this house endured a lot. It is, however, one of the most interesting homes in Asylum Hill, both for its eclectic exterior and its eclectic interior. Winner, 2010 Hartford Preservation Alliance Award for historic rehabilitation.

291-293 Sargeant Street was built as two, side-by-side units with a brick firewall running through the center of the structure, and the house is symmetrical along the firewall. The design of the house reflected an emerging trend toward architectural symmetry that was becoming more prevalent at the turn of the Twentieth Century, and it integrates a mix of Colonial Revival and Queen Anne elements that is very common in the Sigourney Square District. The windows are arranged in pairs to create a balanced composition, which was favored under the Colonial Revival style, while the exterior wall treatment clapboard along the first floor with staggered shingles on the upper stories is more commonly associated with the Queen Anne style. This eclectic mix is reflected throughout the neighboring homes, all of which were built during this same period in Hartford's history, and these homes remain largely intact today. NINA acquired the home and began its rehabilitation of the home in 2008 following a fire in December 2007 that caused significant damage to the third floor.

Exterior Details


Interior Details

291-293 Sargeant is one of the most interesting houses that NINA has worked on. During the 1980s, the house underwent a substantial renovation that fully modernized 291 while preserving the historic footprint and feel of 293. The result is a very eclectic two-family that, except for being contained within the same structure, feel as if they are very different homes.


Before & After

Along with showing the work NINA did on this home, these photos also show the damage caused by the December 2007 fire.