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!

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Caroling in the Park

David
Friends of Sigourney Square Park
12/22/2022

Caroling is back!  First time in three years, and we almost picked up right where we left off.  Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate – miserable cold rain – so we went directly to Glory Chapel for singing, hot chocolate, and a visit from Santa.



Progress at 29 Ashley

David
29 Ashley Street
12/19/2022

The new walls have been primed.  Pictured along the way is Carl Vinter.



Walls!

David
29 Ashley Street
12/9/2022

A look at the new walls and a peek at the third floor.



A view down the Pipeline

David
285 Farmington Avenue
12/5/2022

Focusing on the porch at 285 Farmington Avenue (screamingly obvious, thanks to the City), which is along the South Marshall Street side of the house.



Urban legends and backlit buildings

David
News
12/4/2022

I went downtown to photograph Saint Patrick-Saint Anthony Catholic Church today as part of getting our walking tours and our neighborhood history websites up and running.  Turns out this is a terrible time of the year to try to take a photo of this church, on the south side of the street!  I did get an interesting effect, though, in particular on the portrait orientation – it almost looks like a halo around the church.

So why try to photograph this church in the first place?  The story around Asylum Hill is that this church is the model for the Asylum Hill Congregational Church and that possibly the two churches were twins.  Problem is, the church that would have been “twinned” with Asylum Hill Congregational Church burned down in 1875 and again in 1956.  It was built back both times mostly according to the original design, but not quite.  The current church resembles the original church only below the belfry.

Is there actually a case to be made for this Legend of the Hill?  Not really.  They are certainly stylistically related because they were designed by the same architect, Patrick Keely, and it seems likely that the Asylum Hill Congregational Society likely hired him based on his local reference, i.e., Saint Patrick-Saint Anthony Catholic Church, which Keely designed just over a decade before he worked on Asylum Hill Congregational Church.



Progress at 29 Ashley

David
29 Ashley Street
12/2/2022

Walls are up:  kitchen, parlor, primary bedroom, and the porch underway.



Photos of the neighborhood

David
News
12/2/2022

I currently have several calls for photos for the neighborhood, so I took a walk around today and thought I’d share the results.



A peek down the pipeline

David
287 Sargeant Street
12/2/2022

The Hartford Land Bank owns 287-289 Sargeant Street, a beautiful but blighted 2-family home down by Woodland Street.  We’re interested – it’s right next door to a past NINA project at 291-293 Sargeant Street – and we’re talking to the land bank and to a local developer, Vintage Home Restoration, about the potential for a partnership to rehabilitate this house and create an owner-occupied opportunity here.



Progress at 29 Ashley Street

David
29 Ashley Street
11/27/2022

The insulation work is done, and now walls are going up.  Also, a shower and tub!



Insulation Going In At 29 Ashley

David
29 Ashley Street
11/17/2022

And already it looks cozier!



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