A series of entries designed to capture the ongoing adventures of NINA! See how we came to be where we are today, and follow along as we enter the new century of social media!
Page: 15
Veeder Place has a new owner – Express Kitchens. The officially took title on June 11, although they’ve been using parts of the building as a warehouse for over a year, but today was the first real sign of their ownership of the building.
Bricks going up along the eastern elevation.
NINA helped out with Hartford Blooms today, leading a tour of the Plimpton House and then taking a group of participants around the neighborhood. The route ran through the Sigourney Square district before heading down quickly into Nook Farms.
It was very, very, very hot.
NINA and The Hartford go all the way back to NINA’s beginnings, and NINA and The Hartford continue to have a deep connection. Pictured here are Andrew Daly, Lynda Godkin, Rachel Pattison, Susan Winkler, and Ken Johnson. Andy, Lynda, Rachel, and Susan are all current board members. Andy, Assistant General Counsel, Lead Counsel Commercial Transactions Law at The Hartford, is the board president. Lynda was Senior Vice President at The Hartford, and she is the board chair. Rachel is Assistant General Counsel at The Hartford, and she is the board secretary. And Susan was Facilities Strategy Manager and HR Communications Director at The Hartford, and she is the board treasurer. Lynda, who is now Senior Vice President and General Counsel at WEX Health, Inc., led the effort to form NINA in 2003, and Susan, who is now Executive Director of the Connecticut Insurance and Financial Services, was also instrumental in NINA’s formation.
AnnMarie LaBreck, Assistant Vice President, Media, Public & Community Relations at The Hartford, introducing the event
Christopher Swift, CEO of The Hartford, speaking
Christopher Swift and Luke Bronin, Mayor of Hartford
Luke Bronin speaking
Suzanne Hopgood and Mike Freimuth of CRDA in attendance
Ken Johnson speaking
Caitlin Burchill of NBC Connecticut asking a question – and her story on the event
Erin Fletcher, NINA Board Member, being interviewed by Fox 61
Today, at a press event on the front lawn at 847 Asylum Avenue, Christopher Swift, the CEO of The Hartford Financial Services Group, announced a $1 million contribution to NINA to support our work building affordable homeownership opportunities in Asylum Hill. The Hartford’s funding will be combined with funding from the Capital Region Development Authority and the State Historic Home Rehabilitation Tax Credit program in order to create up to 24 new, affordable, owner-occupied homes in Asylum Hill.
This commitment also celebrates The Hartford’s 100 years in Asylum Hill: in 1920-21, The Hartford built its headquarters under the dome and re-located to the top of the Hill from downtown, and the company has been a steady presence in the neighborhood ever since. The Hartford has partnered with NINA since its formation in 2003, and the initial work to establish NINA emanated from The Hartford’s Office of Corporate Social Responsibility. NINA’s Board of Directors includes Lynda Godkin and Susan Winkler, who worked at The Hartford in 2003 and remain key to NINA’s work to revitalize the neighborhood.
Also in attendance was Luke Bronin, Mayor of Hartford, who celebrated The Hartford’s investment in the Asylum Hill community. Mayor Bronin noted that NINA’s strategy to build affordable owner-occupied homes complemented efforts citywide to add to and improve the city’s housing stock.
The announcement today builds on The Hartford’s longstanding commitment to Asylum Hill. The Hartford established a $10 million, 5-year commitment to Asylum Hill in 2020, with these funds focused on addressing the top priorities of Asylum Hill residents, which included housing stability, job readiness, and greater public safety. This in turn built on The Hartford’s $7 million contribution in 2010, of which $2 million went toward the demolition of the Capitol West Building in Asylum Hill.
NINA is very grateful to The Hartford for this contribution, and we are very excited to work with our partners at The Hartford as we move forward with our homeownership projects in the neighborhood.
We took the boards off the windows to let some light in and to get some better photos.
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving posted an article on Connecticut Mirror about expanding homeownership in Hartford, and the article featured some of the work NINA has done in Asylum Hill. It had pictures of 8 Ashley Street, 246 Sargeant Street, and 86 & 88 Hawthorn Street.
