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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Today we had a group of student volunteers working at 33 Sargeant Street as part of Trinity College’s annual Do It Day.
Only five years ago, this block was blighted. It sits at a major gateway into Asylum Hill, and it greeted tens of thousands of commuters every business day with an image in serious decline. Now, thanks to efforts by NINA (221 Garden), CIL (223 Garden), and a dedicated retired firefighter (225 Garden), the block is a portrait of targeted reinvestment at work, revitalizing the neighborhood and changing perceptions about the neighborhood at the same time.
The last building on the block – well, hopefully we’ll have something to say about that very soon!
The house is getting ready for its closeup. Work being done on the porch in particular, and Jeff Giddings is working on the finish trim inside. And then there’s Mike Stockman, modeling the second floor.
ServCorps at work on porches at 47 and 43 Ashley Street, and one of 33 Sargeant, which is also theirs.
The old floor plan is now largely gone, and we’re getting ready to restore the house to its original, side-by-side, two-family layout. Some artifacts uncovered as well, especially some wallpaper that predates the effort to transform this house into a three-family. Oh, and Mike Stockman, atop the third-floor staircase.
Pulling back the wallboard, we discovered a metal door between the third floors of 15 and 158 Sargeant Street. This door may be original to the house – it certainly wasn’t installed by the previous owner who cut through the fire wall to create new passages between each floor of the house. We suspect this was the means by which servants could easily pass from one side of the house to the other.
