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: 58We were very saddened to learn recently of the passing of Bob Knowles, one of our most steadfast volunteers. Bob worked with us for the last several years, bringing his skills and his work ethic -- as well as his sense of humor -- to our work sites.
In case you’re wondering, two doors down from 51 the house is exactly the same design, with an intact front porch. We modeled our historic restoration efforts on that porch.
The Friends of Sigourney Square Park organized Caroling the Park – a celebration of the park and the neighborhood and, of course, Christmas! Santa came out, as did a stilt-walking elf. Much credit goes to Luwannia Johnson-Martin, the chair of the Friends, whose dynamism motivated all of us and got us into the festive spirit.
We hope this will be retroactively considered the first annual Caroling in the Park!
Over on the other side of the property, the building had been close to a tree and a fence. Both went unscathed during the demolition. Oh, but not the chainlink fence. That was nasty, and it had to go.
As the front section of the liquor store was demolished, the front loader headed up and onto the debris to continue its work.
Not that it was cold out or anything, the view was just better from the second floor. Note that the north wall was brought in on the building.
We never worried once – really! These guys really knew what they were doing.
On top of being in poor condition, the liquor store presented a nuisance that both Aetna and the neighborhood were happy to be rid of. Mike led the charge, and Aetna contributed the cost and oversight of the demolition.
Mike is head of real estate management at Aetna, and he’s been a great friend of NINA since the very beginning.
Mike’s smile, by the way, was visible from space. An NSA satellite picked it up on its regular daily pass over Hartford.
The front-loader switched from the south wall to advancing into the remaining structure.
