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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The homeowner here is using ServCorps and YouthBuild to restore their porch, which collapsed beneath a heavy snowfall. It’s being restored exactly, and 55 Ashley and 35 Ashley stand in as models for the work. These homes were all built by Frederick Mahl in the 1890s, and on the south side of the street he alternated between two models of homes. He got a little more complicated on the north side, using a different model altogether and building two 2-family homes, one of which is the NINA home at 30 Ashley Street.
We haven’t been able to convince anyone that the sidewalk isn’t a parking lot, we’ve decided to go ahead and install a fence.
We were a little rushed when we took our first photos of the vest pocket garden at 33 Sargeant, since we were getting ready for the big ribbon cutting ceremony, so here’s a somewhat better picture of garden.
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HUD highlighted NINA's project at 33 Sargeant Street on its web site. The work here was funded through HUD's Neighborhood Stablization Program (NSP), and HUD featured 33 Sargeant as one of NSP's success stories.
UPDATE: HUD's page went dark, but we preserved our submission to them for posterity. They pretty much used this document verbatim.
Our friends at LISC took NINA and some of our peers in Hartford on a field trip to Providence today, to see how the Olneyville Housing Corporation has successfully revitalized the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence. This was a very informative trip, and it was an opportunity for us to hear and share best practices with Olneyville Housing Corporation, which has faced challenges similar to those we address here in Hartford.
Photos include various scenes from the tour and the roundtable discussion afterwards.
A few shots as the event wrapped up. We then moved a couple doors down for a reception in the backyard of 49 Sargeant.
To commemorate The Hartford’s role in and substantial contribution to the construction of 33 Sargeant Street, Ken Johnson presented Robert Yass with an antique fire plaque from the Hartford Fire Insurance Company. These plaques were used in the 19th century to indicate that a house had fire insurance, and Hartford Fire is a predecessor of today’s Hartford Financial Services Group.
The plaque was mounted right next to the front door at the end of the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
A few shots ofpeople arriving for the ribbon cutting event.
Since we’re getting ready to show off 33 Sargeant, we thought it would also be a good time to showcase a vest pocket garden. If all goes well, we’ll look to add a few more around the neighborhood, and then we’ll plan for a larger project.
NINA and its partners celebrated the completion of the new home at 33 Sargeant Street with a ribbon cutting ceremony today. Lynda Godkin, board chair for NINA, led the ceremony. Speakers included Pedro Segarra, Mayor of Hartford; Dean Andrews, Senior Vice President/Hartford Market Manager, Enterprise Business & Community Engagement, Bank of America; Andrea Pereira, Executive Director, Hartford and Connecticut Statewide LISC; Rich Grobe, Executive Director, ServCorps; and Robert Yass, Vice President, Government Affairs, Hartford Financial Services Group. Bob is also a member of NINA’s board of directors.
The City of Hartford provided funding for the project through the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Bank of American donated the land to NINA.
