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: 31After this is finished, we’ll be able to open up some new opportunities for volunteers.
Jonathan Clark took us around the Sigourney Square District and showed us some of the neighborhood that used to be and how it became the neighborhood you now see. Jonathan is the one in the cap pointing.
Anneke Velthuizen volunteered at 115 & 117 Sigourney Street today. Anneke, who works at Aetna, pitched in with Keith Powell and David Cunningham to get a lot of work done today, which helps us to keep our homes affordable for their future owners.
Interested in volunteering? We advertise volunteer opportunities through our member institutions, but if you don’t work for one of them you can contact us directly to inquire about what we might need.
Or maybe Trinity Episcopal Church is taking a cue from us? In any case, we’re not so alone anymore.
Another floor, another strip of wallpaper. Same period, though.
Trinity Episcopal Church has officially kicked off its capital campaign to restore its historic structure, a project close to NINA’s heart. These shots are from the sanctuary: the organ and the coolest radiator system ever.
This is a great project, if you’re interested in contributing. Trinity Episcopal has put together a terrific video about both their history and their presence in Asylum Hill, too.
I inadvertently came across some information about this tree – it may sit atop the actual Asylum Hill! It turns out that an oak tree had been at this spot for a very long time, and the oak marked the summit of Asylum Hill. Then about 110 years ago that oak died and had to be removed. A new tree was then planted, and although I haven’t confirmed it yet, I’m pretty sure it was this very tree.
There are two wrinkles to this tale. The first is that while this may mark the summit of the hill, it’s probably not the highest point any longer. When Garden Street was paved and widened, workers removed the dirt from the summit and moved it to what would become the walls of the reservoir, which is now The Hartford’s visitor parking lot – and which is now a higher point than the summit. The second is how high above the sidewalk the tree is. The workers were careful not to disturb the original oak tree, which meant they left its root ball intact. That mound of mulch between the sidewalk and the base of the tree, then, marks the location of the oak’s root ball.
How cool is that?
The future footprint of the town homes is easier to see now.
