847 Asylum Avenue

847 Asylum Avenue, also known as the Linus Plimpton House, counts as one of NINA’s largest projects. It stands as one of Asylum Hill’s – and Hartford’s – most distinctive homes, and it showcases a vibrant, revitalizing neighborhood. Built ca. 1862 and then substantially expanded 1884-1885, it was very nearly 70 years home to the Plimpton family. NINA acquired the house from the South Park Inn in 2021, and we restored it as an owner-occupied three-family.

Before & After

The exterior didn't really change, so I went with a change in the seasons.

1st Floor

Red dots are before photos, and yellow dots are after photos. Dots represent approximate location of photographer. Use slider to see before and after floor plans: slide to right to see before, and slide to left to see after.

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2nd Floor

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3rd Floor

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Topics

Some additional information about the house.

The house has some extraordinary features, including stained-glass windows, multiple fireplaces, impressive woodwork, and stenciling. These features were likely added during the 1884-1885 addition to the house, which was overseen by local architect John C. Mead. The stained glass in particular resembles stained glass in other buildings in Hartford that were designed and built by Mead, and the 1992-1996 restoration overseen by William Crosskey II, also a locally renown architect, painstakingly preserved these architectural features.

Project History

847 Asylum Avenue receives Award of Merit from Preservation Connecticut 5/8/2025 We attended the 2025 Preservation Connecticut Awards ceremony this evening at the New Haven Country Club. The award cited "NINA’s commitment to creating or renovating housing in the Asylum Hill neighborhood." The award recognized the project team, which was NINA Properties, Crosskey Architects, James K. Grant Associates, John Canning & Company, Connecticut State Historic Preserv
		Mailboxes at 847 Asylum Avenue 3/27/2025 The mailboxes finally came in, and we have installed them. And that is officially that! We are all done with the Plimpton House.
Sold! 2/24/2025 Today we closed on the sale of 847 Asylum Avenue. This project has been a labor of love, for both the house and the neighborhood. This project wasn’t our longest (that was 207 Garden Street), nor was it our biggest (also 207 Garden Street), but we think that this project will eventually compare to our first project, the Victorian Lady, in particular in terms of how it will change percepti
		Happy Valentine’s Day! 2/14/2025 I realized this morning that yesterday, as I was taking detailed shots around 847 Asylum Avenue, that I had forgotten to get a photo of the light fixture in the billiard room, so I went back for just a few more shots - 11 in all. These constitute the last photos I will take of the interior of 847 Asylum Avenue while it is a NINA home! The photo here is the actual last photo, a shot
Details at 847 Asylum Avenue 2/13/2025 I went back today to get a few additional shots of finish details at the house. All of these were "original" to the house, as in they were there when NINA acquired the property. We think that most of them are original to the Mead addition done in 1884-1885.
		The basement at 847 Asylum Avenue 2/10/2025 I don't show off basements all that often, but hte basement at the Plimpont House i bright, airy, and spacious. The photos here run from the back stairs down into the basement, then around the basement, and then up the stairs at the middle of the basement, which is right by the kitchen on the first floor. These photos may show up again if I decide to do a before-and-after displ
The closets and the bathroom in the primary bedroom 2/10/2025 Some details of the two closets and the bathroom in the primary suite on the second floor of the owner’s unit. The chest in the bay window was built by two carpenters working for Fresh Start Worx.
		More “after shots” at the Plimpton House: the third floor apartment 2/7/2025
More “after shots” at the Plimpton House: the owner’s kitchen 2/7/2025 The stove is at the same location as the original kitchen hearth.
		More “after shots” at the Plimpton House: the owner’s dining room and parlors 2/7/2025
More “after shots at the Plimpton House: owner’s second floor 2/7/2025
		More “after shots” of the Plimpton House: the owner’s third floor 2/7/2025
Some exteriors, too! 2/7/2025
		I promise, these are the last two for today! 2/7/2025 I just really liked these two.
More shots of stained glass at 847 Asylum Avenue 1/30/2025 I have found it a real struggle to catch the stained glass at 847 Asylum Avenue in just the perfect afternoon light, in part because I'm not the best photographer in the world and in part because my timing seemed consistently lousy. However, it was recently pointed out to me that the stained glass was added in 1884-1885, when the surrounding landscape was very different. For one thi
		Eventide at the Plimpton House 1/30/2025
The “after shots” are underway 1/27/2025 First attempt: early in the morning, sun streaming in through the windows.
		CT Insider published an article on 847 Asylum Avenue 1/10/2025 CT Insider ran an article online about the Plimpton House today. It covers a lot of information that we have, but it also included some references that we hadn’t previously found – which is to say,
Random photos from NINA 1/10/2025 A couple of stops today: the kitchen at 847 Asylum Avenue, the garage at 102 Huntington Street, and 207 Garden Street in the morning sun.
		Getting ready for its close-up 1/9/2025 Took a walk around 847 Asylum Avenue today, getting a feel for the place as I prepare to take final photos of the house.
847 Asylum Avenue is on the market! 12/18/2024 The house is ready! And if you’re interested, the real estate agent has put together a very nice video tour of the house.
		Evening at the Plimpton House 12/18/2024 Shots are of the front of the house, the steeple at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, and Asylum Hill Congregational Church with The Hartford in the background.
Fast approaching the finish line at 847 Asylum 12/5/2024 So close! Some shots of what’s done and some shots of what isn’t, including the walk-in closet in the primary bedroom in the owner’s unit. The house will go on the market this month!
		Seeing through the tower at 847 Asylum Avenue 11/6/2024 On a beautiful clear day like today, you can see right through the windows on the second and third floors of the tower on the east side of 847 Asylum Avenue. An interesting historic artifact is also visible in the detail shot. The brownstone cutting across the tower, just below the third story window, is probably the original soffit. We think that the Plimptons, as part of th
A quick visit inside 847 Asylum Avenue 11/6/2024 We are nearly there - we think the house will be on the market next month. If you look closely in the photo of the kitchen cabinets, you can see Ken reflected in the leftmost cabinet and me, taking the phot, two cabinet doors over.
		In the run up to the big event 10/30/2024 We opened up the Plimpton House this evening as a preview for the funders and peers who supported us on this project. These are some shots from before the event. The man in the green shirt on the staircase is Jonathan Clark, who donated 102 Huntington Street to NINA and has been one of NINA’s longest supporters. The woman in the gray shirt is Erin Fletcher, a NINA homeo
Two of our carpenters on the project 10/30/2024 Pictured here are Mohamad Alktefan and Lionel Robert, two of the finish carpenters who worked on 847 Asylum Avenue and who attended this evening’s preview open house. They came to the project through our partner Fresh Start Pallet Products, and they were hired by Bellevue Home Solutions, which installed the cabinets in the house. This photo was provided by Jenna Columbus, Fre
		Preview open house at 847 Asylum Avenue 10/30/2024 Shots from the event. We had close to 100 people attend. Food and beverages provided by Catering at the Forge. There were brief remarks as well: Lynda Godkin, NINA’s board chair, moderated, and speakers were Arunan Arulampalam, Hartford mayor; Ken Johnson, NINA executive director; and Andrew Daly, NINA board president.
Progress at 847 Asylum Avenue 10/16/2024 Carpet installation in the apartments, and further along in the kitchen in the owner’s unit. Also, Ramon being camera shy.
		Getting there at 847 Asylum Avenue 10/7/2024 The kitchen is coming together – the wainscoting is nearly in and painted, the cabinets are being installed, and the new window, where there used to be a door, is being framed and installed. Around the rest of the house, the crown molding and baseboard is underway and a new mantle has been installed in the fireplace in the formal parlor (now the “ballroom”). Paint
The front walk solved 9/12/2024 The curved cuts are a nice touch.
		Work to finish the kitchen underway 9/12/2024 Ramon Martinez and Bob Rosenberg discussing the installations of the cabinets, among other things.
More restoration work in 847 Asylum 9/4/2024 The finer details are returning.
		The front walk at 847 Asylum 9/4/2024 Something of a conundrum. We have to connect the new slate with the old, and then we have to figure out how to soften the angle of the walk from the driveway as it connects to the front walk.
Progress at 847 Asylum Avenue 8/28/2024 Crown molding in the formal parlor – or maybe, now, the ballroom. Restoration in the foyer. Bathroom in the northeast bedroom, 2^nd floor in the owner’s unit. Restoration in the billiard room. Bathroom, 3^rd floor in the owner’s unit. Top of the staircase, owner’s unit. Hardwood floor, dining room. Sign that t
		The side porch at 847 Asylum 8/16/2024 We took out the ramp on the side porch – you can see the shadow lines, which is good, because I’m not sure I ever took a picture of it in place. The side porch door is also restored and back in place.
Progress at 847 Asylum Avenue 8/14/2024 New floor going into the dining room. Restored newell post. Restoration of the billiard room nearing completion. Tile floor in the laundry room on the 3^rd floor.
		Progress at 847 Asylum Avenue 7/31/2024
Progress at 847 Asylum 7/24/2024 The highlight of these photos is the new flooring on the first floor.
		The staircases at 847 Asylum Avenue 7/1/2024 Work is underway on the staircases, cleaning and restoring them. Photos are of the main staircase in the owner’s unit and the rear staircase to the apartments and basement.
and other progress at 847 Asylum Avenue 7/1/2024 Some random shots, plus the seldom seen basement.
		Progress at 847 Asylum Avenue 5/31/2024 3^rd floor apartment: kitchen, bedroom. 2^nd floor apartment: kitchen. 1^st floor: dining room.
Progress at 847 Asylum Avenue 5/17/2024 The new compressor units are in. New utilities are being connected underground. Doors have arrived. New cabinets are being installed in the 2^nd floor apartment. New cabinets are being installed in the 3^rd floor apartment as well.
		Progress at 847 Asylum 4/22/2024 Dining room on the first floor. Closet in the primary bedroom of the owner’s unit, looking from second-floor hallway. Same primary bedroom, looking out from the dressing room. Looking out from the primary bedroom’s closet onto the second-floor hall. Laundry room on third floor, owner’s unit. West bedroom, second-floor apartment. Primary bedr
Mike Stockman at work at 847 4/11/2024 Always nice to have Mike working on site again. He’s in the third-floor apartment, looking west.
		Random daffodils at 847 Asylum 4/10/2024 Don’t remember these from last year – and even if they were there, it was still a delightful surprise to seem them this year!
Progress at 847 Asylum 3/22/2024 The former kitchen, taking shape as a pantry and breakfast nook. The future kitchen – the blue tape on the floor outlines the future butcher block. Work in the formal parlor. Kitchen cabinets delivered in the 3^rd floor apartment. Bedroom on the 3^rd floor of the owner’s unit. Exterior in the springtime sun. Basement – so
		A decent shot of a stained-glass window at 847 Asylum 3/11/2024 I’ve found it very hard to catch sunlight in the stained-glass window at just the right time – yes, I’m blaming the sun for being uncooperative – but here are a couple from the second floor looking into the stairwell. Rather than casting light tinted by the stained glass, there were prisms all about. Although, now that I look more closely, that cobweb
Progress at 847 Asylum 1/31/2024 1^st floor kitchen and former kitchen taking shape. 1^st floor east parlor. 1^st floor main parlor with ceiling. 2^nd floor east bedroom. 3^rd floor landing. 3^rd floor back bedroom. Repairs to the 3^rd floor billiard room. 2^nd floor apartment west bedroom. 2^nd
		JELLO back at 847 Asylum 1/18/2024 And, it’s actually January!
Progress at 847 Asylum 1/5/2024 The apartments are officially separate from the homeowner’s unit now, with insulation filling the thresholds that used to let us pass freely from the front of the house to the back of the house. Insulation is now in all over the place as well, and there’s a new wall in the basement. Short, but still.
		In the basement at 847 Asylum Avenue 12/11/2023 A quick walk around the basement. I hardly ever show photos of basements. Most of them aren’t as interesting as the one here at 847.
In the kitchen at 847 Asylum Avenue 12/11/2023 Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve shown any photos of the kitchen in awhile, either. It is definitely starting to take shape, now that we’ve settled on moving the kitchen around to where it would have been originally in the house. Shots include the kitchen as well as the former kitchen, where the institutional kitchen had been and where we thought the kitche
		Progress at 847 Asylum Avenue 10/30/2023 Ductwork for the HVAC system, second floor, future primary bedroom, owner’s unit; framing in east side parlor, first floor; new configuration, hallway, second floor, owner’s unit; framing and ductwork, second floor bedroom, owner’s unit; shower, bathroom in primary bedroom, second floor, owner’s unit; electrician’s ladder, billiard room, third floor, owner’s
Volunteers from JELLO at 847 Asylum 10/21/2023 A group of students from Trinity College’s JELLO team volunteered at 847 Asylum Avenue today.

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