Milano Corporation, Inc. for the rehabilitation of the administration building of the Capewell Horse Nail Co.
Asylum Hill Homes LLC for the rehabilitation of three historic homes on Ashley and Garden streets as part of the Asylum Hill Homes project.
Connecticut Department of Public Works for the restoration of the Scottish Union and National Insurance Co. building at 75 Elm St.
John McGarvey for the historically-sympathetic construction and painting of the garage at 41 Kenyon Street.
Ridgefield Street Block Association for the Ridgefield Street Local Historic District.
1429 Park Street LLC for the renovation and adaptive reuse of the Hartford Rubber Works building at 1429 Park Street.
Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance and Broad-Park Development Corp. for the CityScape neighborhood rebuilding program.
West End Rising Star Committee for the West Boulevard National Register Historic District.
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts for the restoration of Mortensen Hall.
Town and County Club for its stewardship of the Lyman House.
Neighborhoods of Hartford, Inc. for its support of historic architectural preservation in Rising Star Blocks and Pride Blocks.
Scott Mawhinney for the historic repainting and restoration of the facades at1 and 3-5 Whitman Court.
Hartford Preservation Ordinance Task Force for drafting and successfully advocating for the adoption of the Hartford Preservation Ordinance.
The monumental Capewell Horse Nail factory on Charter Oak Avenue was built in 1903 and represented the success of inventor George Capewell, who devised an improved technique for making horseshoe nails. The c1900 administration building displays exhuberant ornamentation. Its signature architectural trait is an unusual stepped gable, "Jacobean" in style, rising well past the roof line, with an array of steps and framed by a pair of twin chimneys. After the close of the Capewell factory in the 1980s, both buildings became vulnerable. A 2002 fire nearly destroyed the office building, and the property passed through several hands before being acquired by John Reveruzzi and his partners in 2004. They launched the renovation of the office building, including replacement of the fire-damaged roof; and the building now serves as offices for the Milano Corporation. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
The Northside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (NINA) was created in 2003 as a collaborative of six institutions in Asylum Hill for the purpose of revitalizing the neighborhood. Its first project was a multimillion dollar homeownership initiative in conjunction with the Broad-Park Development Corporation to rehabilitate five abandoned houses on Ashley, Garden and Sargeant streets, of which three of these homes are now completed. The brick Italianate structures, constructed shortly after the end of the Civil War, have been restored to their original use as single-family homes. The homes at 8 Ashley Street, 18 Ashley Street and 221 Garden Street, built in 1873 and 1874, had stood vacant for over ten years. Asylum Hill Homes LLC – a partnership led by NINA and Broad-Park – was formed to restore these structures. Each home features an elaborate front portico, a brick exterior, brownstone lintels and sills and a low pyramidal roof with a wide overhang, all of which are hallmarks of the Italianate style in Hartford. The interiors were restored with careful attention to detail, including stenciling and faux painting on the walls. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
In 1913, the Edinburgh-based Scottish Union and National Insurance Company moved its American headquarters into a new building designed by Edward T. Hapgood. It was a Georgian Revival brick building with classical features in limestone, including a two-story portico supported by Ionic pilasters. The State of Connecticut took over the building in the mid-1960s, using it primarily for Judicial Branch administrative offices. By 2005, a $6.1 million renovation was underway. The project totally renovated the 48,000-square-foot building and surrounding grounds. The interior columns have been fully restored, and the new interior includes one courtroom, judges' chambers, conference rooms, offices and staff support space. A unique aspect of the courtroom is a back-lit window behind the bench where the appellate judges sit. The restoration of the Scottish Union Building for the Appellate Court follows a pattern of architecturally-sensitive restorations in which the state Department of Public Works has played a role. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
In 1999, John McGarvey bought a Stick Style 1880s house that had no garage. John, who describes himself as "an architectural buff," wished to build a garage and felt that it was important that the new garage and the existing house relate to each other. He wanted it to meet 21st century needs while still respecting the 19th century house which it serves. He designed the garage himself, borrowing elements from the exterior of the house and replicating them on the garage. This allowed him to highlight some parts of the house that are not particularly visible from the street. For example, some of the trim from one side of the house is echoed in the gable of the garage, which directly faces the street. Other elements of the house which are visible on the garage include a high foundation, decorative brackets similar to those on the front porch of the house, and, most notably, the stick-style decorations on the gable end. The house and garage are tied together by the historically appropriate shades of olive and terra cotta in which they both are painted. This property provides an especially good example of how a functionally-modern outbuilding can be added to an historic property in a way that enhances, rather than detracts from, the historic property. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
In 2003, after Ridgefield Street was designated a Pride Block by the city, the Ridgefield Street Block Association, led by residents Temple Shannon and Brad Noel, decided to seek historic district status to protect the architectural integrity of their homes. After a long and tedious process, the Hartford City Council finally approved their application on April 24, 2006. The 28 large single-family houses of the Ridgefield Street district, built between 1913 and 1928 represent Colonial, Dutch Colonial, Tudor and Georgian Revival architectural styles. They vary in size but almost all are two-story and all have direct views of the Keney Park meadow across the street. In spite of hard economic times in the past 30 years, the street has remained intact and its architectural character has been preserved. The designation of the block as an historic district is an important step in preserving the history and legacy of this neighborhood. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
This massive building at the corner of Park and Bartholomew streets has only five floors, but it is as tall as a ten-story building, with each floor about 20 feet high. Built in 1920 and designed by the Boston engineering firm of Lockwood, Greene & Co., it was once the site where "U.S." brand automobile tires were manufactured. Over the years, it has housed a variety of manufacturing businesses. Carlos Mouta is in the processing of turning the building into the hub of a design district where people not only work but can live and shop. The bottom three floors of the building will be commercial, while the top two floors will offer high-ceiling apartments. Two new entrances for the building have been created, new windows and a new power system have been installed, and the exterior of the building has been painted. The windows on the first floor of the building have been redesigned so as to complement the use of the first floor for storefronts, and first floor awnings have been added. All these changes have been made in a way which still preserves the architectural character of the building and are contributing to the revived economic vitality of Parkville. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
In 1976, three major institutions in the South End joined together to form a collaborative known as the Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA). The decline of the neighborhood surrounding these institutions was cause for concern and, in 1996, SINA and the Broad-Park Development Corp. created a partnership for the purpose of revitalizing the nearby Frog Hollow and Barry Square neighborhoods by expanding homeownership and improving the quality of housing for both homeowners and renters. This program was named CityScape.SINA assumed primary responsibility for fund development and Broad-Park for construction and property management. Together, these entities, working through the two CityScape programs, have generated a major transformation of the neighborhood. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
When most of the West End was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the mid-1980s, West Boulevard – which marks the southern boundary of the West End – was not included. The southwestern portion of the West End – which includes the Boulevard – was designed a Rising Star Block. Most of the area was already part of the West End South National Register district and with funding from the Neighborhoods of Hartford, Inc., the West End Rising Star Committee embarked on a plan to place a National Register historic plaque on every home in the district. Within a few months, more than 150 of the 175 homes in the West End South district displayed their historic plaques. The committee then moved on to West Boulevard. With David Ransom as its architectural historian and historical research from residents, the application carefully traced the development of the West Boulevard subdivision between 1910 and 1927. The West Boulevard National Register application has been approved by the State Historic Preservation Board and is expected soon to receive final approval from the National Park Service. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
The Bushnell's Georgian Revival building and Mortensen Hall – its striking Art Deco auditorium completed in 1930 – were designed by Corbett, Harrison and MacMurray, who later designed Radio City Music Hall. After completion of the 1998 Belding Theater addition, the Bushnell began restoration of Mortensen Hall, which needed safety code upgrades. The project scope included the installation of a new fire protection system; the conservation of the ceiling mural; the renewal of the original paint colors and ornamental metal finishes; the restoration of the decorative light fixtures; and the re-creation of the original colored lighting scheme and stage curtain, along with new carpet and refurbished seating. The Bushnell has demonstrated its commitment to patron safety and comfort with difficult and expensive code and lighting upgrades, both accomplished in a historically sensitive manner. This project is a model of the restoration of a historic interior that retains its original use but also meets the needs and expectations of twenty-first century patrons. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
Located at 22 Woodland Street, the Town & County Club building is one of the first Colonial Revival-style homes in Hartford. It was designed by the architectural firm of Hapgood & Hapgood in 1895. Theodore and Laura Lyman lived here with their four children from 1895 to 1925. The house, constructed of buff-colored brick and limestone, has 26 rooms and 17 fireplaces. Each floor has approximately 5,600 square feet of floor space. Each of the major rooms on the first floor has different wood paneling, including mahogany, quarter-sawn oak, white mahogany, bird's eye maple, and pine. The Town and County Club bought the building in 1925 after Mrs. Lyman died. The Club has worked diligently and effectively for over 80 years to keep the building in good shape, refurbishing it as needed over time, always paying attention to issues of historic preservation. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and the club recently celebrated its 80th anniversary in its handsome building. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
In 2003, Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez created a homeownership initiative in which 12 blocks throughout the city of Hartford were designated "Pride Blocks" and five neighborhoods were designated "Rising Star Blocks." The purpose of the program was to concentrate resources in Pride Block and Rising Star areas in order to promote home improvement and maintenance, encourage neighborhood beautification, and expand homeownership. A new non-profit, known as the Neighborhoods of Hartford, Inc. (NHI) was created to manage the program. Since that time, NHI has played a role in several revitalization projects. It has provided the funding and organizational support that has made the creation of new historic districts a reality and has helped maintain the quality of housing in existing historic districts. NHI funds have paid for the costs of an architectural historian and for historic district marker plaques for individual households. It is also in the process of drafting design guidelines that will advise property owners on how to make repairs and improvements in ways which preserve and enhance the historic character of their buildings. These guidelines will supplement the official guidelines being developed as part of the Hartford Preservation Ordinance. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
Whitman Court is a one-block street that runs between the brick row houses of Buckingham Street and the brownstone row houses of Capitol Avenue in the South Downtown neighborhood. The two three-story brick buildings at 1 Whitman Court and 3-5 Whitman Court (whose name, "The Cambridge," is inscribed under the cornice) both date to the early twentieth century. Scott Mawhinney of Residential Property Management LLC has owned the buildings since the early 1990s. A recent restoration and historic repainting of their exterior porches and cornices has brought a revived sparkle and renewed historic feel to their appearance. In particular, the careful choice of paint colors and the paint detailing on the wooden elements of the porches and cornices illustrates the way in which the repainting of a property can enhance its historic appearance. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
In late 2003, the Hartford City Council directed the city manager to convene a task force for the purpose of drafting a preservation ordinance. Greg Secord, chairperson of the City's Historic Properties Commission and a past president of the Hartford Preservation Alliance, became chairperson. Working over a period of almost six months, the Hartford Preservation OrdinanceTask Force developed a creative proposal to extend to national and state register districts generally the types of protections that were previously provided only when state or federal funds were involved. Recognizing that Hartford is a low-income city, the proposal carefully integrated the desirability of architectural preservation with a practical recognition that costs must be reasonable. In mid-2004 its proposal was presented to the mayor. After extensive negotiation with the mayor and city officials, the city council approved the ordinance on May 23, 2005 but delayed its effective date until after a set of preservation guidelines was written. Those guidelines will soon be completed, and it is hoped that the ordinance will be in effect by the end of this summer. Back to 2006 Awards Roster
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