Jazz pianist Zaccai Curtis performed solo at the Polish National Home Saturday evening. More about the stunning performance in a bit.
The Polish National Home is to the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood, as Connecticut’s Colonial Charter was to the Charter Oak, which is to say that both are/were well hidden in plain sight.
If one approaches the building after having just exited I-91, then she may assume she took a wrong turn. On her left, while traveling up Charter Oak Avenue, she would see a closed factory with its own ecosystem– something that has a way of deadening the surrounding area. It’s simply one more forgotten building in the city, so forgotten that trees are popping out of it.
At the same time, the Polish National Home is next to an elementary school, as well as the somewhat also hidden, but lively, Pulaski Mall, a park nestled between the Sheldon Oak Cooperative housing units, which are not exactly fine examples of attractive architecture, but appeared to lack greenery inappropriately growing out of their walls. My own trip to the PNH included gallivanting around Main Street, then through Pulaski Mall, where kids, many of them, were playing outside in an area that seemed like safe refuge from traffic. Continue reading 'A Polished Performance'»
This is/was 142-144 Park Terrace in the process of being demolished yesterday.
To find out the locations of other blighted properties, see the website put together by HART and Trinity College.
All three photographs by Christopher Brown
With only Calixto Torres playing the Debbie Downer role, the “Ordinance repealing Chapter 31, Article I, Section 31-5 of Code de Skateboards” was approved. This means that skateboards are now allowed on sidewalks. They had actually been banned since the late 1970s. Continue reading 'Antiquated Code Repealed!'»
Will this become yet another parking lot?
142-144 Park Terrace is slated for demolition today. The City’s assessor website lists “142 PT LLC” as the owner of 142 Park Terrace. The six-unit apartment building is suffering from internal collapse.
You can see more photos of the structure, pre-demolition, on my Photobucket page.
Community gardens are a valuable resource for those of us who have postage stamp (or smaller) yards. They provide a place for gardeners to relieve stress by pulling weeds; having beautiful flowers and growing our own food is another bonus.
Garden space is relatively inexpensive and allows one to know exactly where her food is coming from that season, depending on how able of a gardener she is and how much she chooses to plant. I have seen people successfully grow tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, beans, peas, chard, cabbage, fennel, collard greens, corn, brussels sprouts, strawberries, raspberries, squash, zucchini, carrots, thyme, rosemary, basil, mint, beets, radishes, onions, garlic, spinach, broccoli, ginger, cauliflower, and pumpkins in Hartford. Continue reading 'Community and Food'»
blight, commentary/editorial, community, education/schools, environment, food, fun, Hartford, myth busting, neighborhoods, photos, quality of life, shopping, urban renewal
Earlier this month we reported that a resolution was drafted which would allow for a “Save the Lyric” fund to be set up. Tonight, we received word that the remaining section of the Lyric Theater on Park Street is likely to be salvaged. Michael Fuschi, Building Official, shared that the correspondence he had with Hallisey Engineering regarding the mortar strength test results. The locations that were tested showed mortar strength to be in the range of high strength mortar. Unless something new is discovered, it sounds like the building is not in danger of being demolished.
Next week Fuschi and Glenn Geathers (Project Manager of Department of Development Services Economic Development Division) will be meeting with John Hallisey at the site. Afterwards, they will meet with the ad hoc Lyric subcommittee of the Frog Hollow NRZ. The plan is to stabilize the structure from the third floor down before winter. The roof has already been patched. It will then be “fast tracked” and put to bid.
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