Constitution Plaza Archives - Lost New England

Ferry Street, Hartford, Connecticut

September 3, 2016 by Derek Strahan

Looking east on Ferry Street from Front Street (now Columbus Boulevard) around 1903-1906. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.

The scene in 2016:

As the present-day scene shows, Ferry Street no longer exists, but it once extended east from Front Street to Commerce Street, at the banks of the Connecticut River. Because of its proximity to the Connecticut River and the railroad tracks, this section of Hartford was largely industrial. There were some tenement houses on this street, but in the days before zoning laws they were interspersed between stables, storehouses, foundries, and related businesses. The most visible of these from the first photo is the building on the left, which according to the sign was a “carriage and wagon factory,” with “horseshoeing and general blacksmith” work done here as well.

Unfortunately for whoever owned that business, carriage and wagon making, horseshoeing, and blacksmith work were all on their way to becoming obsolete by the time the photo was taken. Many of these buildings were probably damaged or destroyed some 25 years later during several floods in the 1930s, which caused considerable damage in this neighborhood and furthering its decline. Many of the older buildings in the first photo were probably gone by the 1950s, but any that were left would have been demolished in the Constitution Plaza urban renewal project, which was completed in the 1960s. The entire neighborhood was leveled and rebuilt, and some streets, such as Ferry Street, were completely eliminated in the process. Today, the One State Street office building is located where Ferry Street used to be.

State Street from Columbus Boulevard, Hartford, Connecticut

September 4, 2016August 30, 2016 by Derek Strahan

Looking east on State Street from Front Street (now Columbus Boulevard) in Hartford, on November 12, 1905. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.

State Street in 2016:

This same intersection was previously seen in other posts, facing north and west from here. This scene is also a block west of the photos in the previous post, which show the same elevated railroad tracks that are visible in the distance here. The first photo shows State Street facing toward the Connecticut River, as it appeared at the turn of the last century. State Street begins two block west of here at Main Street, at the commercial center of the city, with prominent banks, insurance companies, hotels, and government buildings nearby. However, as one moved further down the hill toward the river, like in this photo, the street became much less glamorous, with warehouses and other industrial uses along the railroad tracks and riverfront.

Photographer William H. Thompson captured scenes like this, using his camera to document the areas of the city that did not appear on postcards or in tourist publications. Because of this, we are able to see the largely immigrant and working-class eastern section of the city, essentially all of which was demolished in the late 1950s for the Constitution Plaza urban renewal project. Around the same time, in 1958, the Founders Bridge opened, extending State Street across the Connecticut River to East Hartford. Just beyond this intersection, it crosses over Interstate 91, which was built along the river a few years later. Just to the right in the 2016 scene is the Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, which was built above I-91 and provides access to the parks along the river.

State Street from Commerce Street, Hartford, Connecticut

August 30, 2016 by Derek Strahan

Looking east on State Street toward the Connecticut River, from the corner of Commerce Street, on November 19, 1905. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.

The scene in 2016:

It was hard to pinpoint the exact location of this photo, because Interstate 91 has completely obliterated the old street layout along the Connecticut River. The highway now runs directly through the 1905 scene here, but the present-day photo was taken from the plaza above the highway. So, it is the same spot as the first photo, just elevated probably about 20-30 feet.

Today, State Street extends across the Founders Bridge into East Hartford, and is a major thoroughfare in and out of the city. However, at the turn of the last century it ended here at the river, in much more humble surroundings than the busy commercial center just a few block away at the other end of the street. In the foreground is a bridge for the railroad tracks that ran along the Connecticut River, and just beyond it, in the center of the photo, was a warehouse for the Hartford & New York Transportation Company, a steamboat line that operated on the river. One of the boats is partially visible in the distance at the foot of State Street, at the city’s steamboat landing.

Steamboats have long since disappeared from the Connecticut River, along with all of the buildings here. Some were probably damaged or destroyed in the major floods of the 1930s, but any that did survive would have been gone by the 1960s, when I-91 was built through here. Today, this plaza above the highway provides riverfront access for pedestrians, and also connects to the walkway on the Founders Bridge. The only surviving remnant from the first photo is the railroad, which is still active but now mostly hidden beneath the highway.

Market Street from Temple Street, Hartford, Connecticut (2)

August 29, 2016 by Derek Strahan

Looking south on Market Street from Temple Street, on April 22, 1906. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.

Market Street in 2016:

Taken from the same spot as the photos in the previous post, these photos here show Market Street in the opposite direction, toward State Street. This section of the street is closer to the center of downtown Hartford, so while the previous post shows older buildings used primarily for housing immigrants, this block is more commercially developed. The building on the far right in the first photo was the police station, which was built on the site of the old city hall. In the distance is the American Hotel, which was located across State Street. It opened during the first half of the 19th century, and was a prominent Hartford hotel for many years, before being demolished in 1925.

Along with the American Hotel, all of the other buildings in the first photo were eventually demolished. Based on the architecture, most of these brick commercial buildings were probably built around the 1870s or 1880s, although the wooden Greek Revival building on the left is undoubtedly older. However, they were all demolished by the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the section of Hartford north of State Street and east of Main Street was demolished and redeveloped to build Constitution Plaza.

Market Street from Temple Street, Hartford, Connecticut

August 28, 2016 by Derek Strahan

Looking north on Market Street from Temple Street, around 1903-1906. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.

Market Street in 2016:

This view shows the same block as the photos in an earlier post, just viewed from the opposite direction. Like in the previous post, the only building left standing is the former St. Anthony’s Church on the left. The church is mostly hidden by other buildings in the first photo, but the cross and part of the roof are visible just to the left of the center. Aside from the church, the rest of the buildings in the first photo were a mix of residential and commercial uses, including businesses such as Sharff’s First Class Barber Shop on the left. The same building also had a bicycle shop, and several young boys appear to be looking at the bicycles that were on display on the sidewalk. According to a 1903 city directory, the building also had a laundromat, which was run by Chinese immigrant Quong Chung.

Along with Chung, there were plenty of other immigrants who lived in this neighborhood. The upper floors of the building on the left were used as a boarding house, and at the 1900 census there were at least 14 people living here, most of whom were either born in Ireland or had parents who were born there. Across the street, Quong Chung lived in the three-story, flat-roofed building on the right, which was also home to other immigrants from Switzerland, Germany, Ireland, and Russia. All of these buildings, with the exception of the church, were demolished by the early 1960s, when the neighborhood was redeveloped into Constitution Plaza.

Market Street from Talcott Street, Hartford, Connecticut (2)

August 28, 2016 by Derek Strahan

Looking north on Market Street from Talcott Street, around 1903-1906. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.

The scene in 2016:

Taken from the same location as those in the previous post, these photos show the view in the opposite direction, looking north on Market Street. To the right is the Brown School, a public school that was built in 1869 at the northeast corner of Market and Talcott. It was expanded in 1897 as the neighborhood grew, with large numbers of immigrants moving into this part of the city. The children roughhousing in the foreground were probably students at the school, and many were likely first-generation Americans with immigrant parents.

Today, the school and the rest of the neighborhood have long since been demolished. The narrow street from the first photo is now a five-lane thoroughfare, with tall parking garages on either side and Interstate 84 a block away in the distance.