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: 53Today we held a "wall raising" event to honor our partners and to kick off construction of the house. The wall raisers included, from left to right in the photos:
Matt Laney, Senior Minister, Asylum Hill Congregational Church
Donna Manocchio, Associate Minister, Asylum Hill Congregational Church
Bill Russell, Asylum Hill Congregational Church
Valerio Giadone, Project Architect
Dulcie Giadone, Chair, Housing Committee, Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association
Jennifer Cassidy, Chair, Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association
Tony Mein, Chair, Education Committee, Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association
Ted Carroll, Moderator, Asylum Hill Congregational Church & Executive Director, Leadership Greater Hartford
Diane Cantello, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, The Hartford
Andrew Daly, Assistant Vice President and Counsel, The Hartford & Member, NINA Board of Directors
Robert Yass, Vice President, Government Affairs, The Hartford & Member, NINA Board of Directors
Ken Johnson, Executive Director, NINA
They were ably guided in this endeavor by Mike Stockman and Jeff Giddings, who can be seen at different points in the foreground and the side of the action, respectively.
Following the ceremony, a group of volunteers from The Hartford pitched in to frame the first floor of the house, and by the end of the day we had the beginnings of something resembling a home!
The carpenters have capped the foundation at 54 Huntington, which is to say that the house now has a first floor. There are even steps onto the cap, which are where the front door will be, eventually, and the hole in the cap is where the stairs into the basement will go. Tomorrow we will have a special "wall raising" ceremony, which will mark a milestone in our construction schedule and honor our partners on this project.
Oh, my, but our prospects don't look good! Tonight we had some friends and neighbors place our lanterns on their porches, which was a simulation of what they would've done on the first Illumination Night. Unfortunately, we're not using candles like they would have (or maybe that's fortunate!), and the environmentally friendly LEDs we're using just aren't producing the lumens we were hoping for. Ah, well, we're in for the event now, no matter what!
The bilco doors are in, which means the foundation is now complete. From here, we can start work on the house to come! Further signs that we're getting ready: there's an actual power meter in place now (and again, probably not that exciting, but how often do you see a meter set to 0?) and our storage container is on site, too.
Okay, so maybe a photo of where a temporary power meter will go isn't all that exciting, but this occasion marks the official unveiling of our street number: 54! The views from the basement won't exist for much longer because, of course, we're about to put a cap on the foundation.
Frank Hagaman of the Hartford Preservation Alliance led an enormous group down Farmington Avenue, the street on which he lives, today. Frank extolled the virtues of city living while also discussing the future of economic development along the all-important Farmington Avenue Business Corridor.
Our paving contractor started work on the front and back walks at 1 Imlay Street today. The design and materials were selected in consulation with the future homeowners.
Jeff Giddings and Matt Pearce began work this morning by having a look at the newly set foundation, and then this afternoon they were installing the first beam that will support the house above. Also included one artsy shot (because we must!) that is of the forms into which the concrete was poured, now prepped for transport to their next job.
At least on the basement! Views are from the future front and rear of the house. The two beams sticking up from the rear wall mark where the bilco doors into the basement will go.
We took our lanterns for a test run tonight. We darkened the porch as much as possible. You can see the results for yourself, but this doesn't look good for the main event!
