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: 9Fixtures are going in, cleaning has started, and still that blue thing in the 2nd floor kitchen.
Different day, same story: except now it’s two trucks.
The City of Hartford, the Hartford Land Bank, Vintage Home Restoration, and NINA participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony today at 287-289 Sargeant Street. It was a bit early – the house isn’t quite done yet! – but the land bank really wanted to do this now (and the even list today as the “developer rehab completion date” on their website).
Speaking were Marcus Ordonez, executive director, HLB; Arunan Arulampalam, Hartford mayor and past executive director, HLB; Brandon McGee, Connecticut Department of Housing; Ken Johnson, executive director, NINA; Krish Naraine, principal, Vintage Home Restoration; and Ada Alers, a real estate developer working with Vintage Home Restoration. The speeches were followed by the actual ribbon cutting.
I wasn’t there – I was home sick – so Mary Cockram covered for me and took all of these photos.
Some of the floors have been finished, and the 2nd floor kitchen has a blue thing.
The building was demolished. The foundation was filled in, with clean fill, thank goodness! But the old parking lot was left intact. Now, it’s become free parking, mostly for trucks.
1st floor kitchen and former kitchen taking shape. 1st floor east parlor. 1st floor main parlor with ceiling. 2nd floor east bedroom. 3rd floor landing. 3rd floor back bedroom. Repairs to the 3rd floor billiard room. 2nd floor apartment west bedroom. 2nd floor apartment dining area and kitchen. 2nd floor primary (east) bedroom. 3rd floor apartment living area. HVAC outside.
This is one way that we find out about distressed properties in the neighborhood, which is why it’s so important that we be out and about as much as possible.
If we walked through 285, we must have walked through 279 as well! This one is not in as bad shape as 285, but only because it hasn’t been as exposed to the elements as 285 has been.
Its last use was as a legal office. What we’re calling the “main section,” which is the original historic house, is largely intact, but over in the addition there’s a huge hole in the roof. I’m not sure, but I think some of the things in there have mutated over time. They’re likely hungry, too … .
For the record: the addition was built onto the eastern side of the building by TSKP Group, which had its architectural offices here in the 1980s. They did a great job, but over time, and because the City didn’t do much to maintain or repair the damage to the roof on the addition, the addition has become a lost cause.
