Pre-Site Analysis Report II_Michael Maltzan Architecture.pdf

Hartford, CT New Federal Courthouse Contract No.: 47PB00024C0015

Fall 2024

MICHAEL

MALTZAN

ARCHITECTURE, INC.

PRE-SITE ANALYSIS

REPORT II

SLAM Collaborative

APPENDIX B

This document is the property of the United States Government and is for official use only.

U.S. General Services Administration

Public Building Service

Developed by:

Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. [Prime Consultant, Design Architect] SLAM Collaborative [AOR]

Fall 2024

All drawings and diagrams included in this document have been produced as study materials in support of the pre-site analysis efforts. Images included outside of these materials have been credited in the Appendix of this report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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GEOTECHNICAL

DESKTOP STUDYPage Intentionally Left Bank

June 2024 Prepared by: GEI Consultants, Inc.

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GEI Consultants, Inc. www.geiconsultants.com

Technical Memorandum GEI Consultants, Inc. 455 Winding Brook Drive, Suite 201, Glastonbury, CT 06033 860.368.5300

Via Email: twilliams@mmaltzan.com To: Tim Williams, Managing Principal, Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc.

From: Ma�hew Glunt, P.E.

cc: Gina Morrow, Guy Nordenson and Associates

Paul Baldinger, S/L/A/M Collabora�ve Date: June 20, 2024 Re: Preliminary Geotechnical Considera�ons

New Federal Courthouse Har�ord, CT

Project No.: 2405226

We present this memo to discuss preliminary founda�on and earthwork considera�ons for each of the two sites currently under considera�on for development.

Background

We understand the referenced project will involve a new 281,000-sf courthouse facility, constructed at either of these two loca�ons in downtown Har�ord:

61 Woodland Street – This property adjacent to the Park River includes a 4-story brick building currently housing State offices, with parking in the rear. (Woodland Site)

Church, High, and Allyn Streets – This assemblage would include several vacant proper�es bounded by High Street, Allyn Street, and South Church Street, which are currently in use as surface parking lots. (Allyn Site)

We also understand, based on ini�al site layouts and massing, that a Woodland Street facility would likely be on the order of 8 to 9 stories in height with 1 level of underground parking, while a Church/High/Allyn facility would be on the order of 12 stories in height with up to 2 levels of underground parking.

Expected Subsurface Conditions

We conducted a search and review of all available subsurface informa�on proximate to both sites from public and internal (GEI) sources. In par�cular, the following sources were relied on:

• Geotechnical inves�ga�on at corner of Ann Ucello Street and Asylum Street, approximately 500 feet from the Allyn Site, conducted by GEI in 2015 for a confiden�al client in conjunc�on with a development that was never implemented.

Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. | SLAM Collaborative

GEOTECHNICAL DESKTOP STUDY

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Appendix B Geotechnical Desktop Study

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Appendix B Geotechnical Desktop Study

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Appendix B Geotechnical Desktop Study

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HISTORIC

ELIGIBILITY

ASSESSMENT

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July 2024 Prepared by: Building Conservation

Associates, Inc.

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July 2024

BUILDING CONSERVATION ASSOCIATES INC

61 Woodland Street Hartford, Connecticut

Historic Eligibility Assessment

FOR GSA INTERNAL USE ONLY

HISTORIC ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT

Appendix B

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Historic Eligibility Assessment

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61 Woodland Street, Historic Eligibility Assessment

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INTRODUCTION

GSA is evaluating two properties1 in Hartford, CT for the eventual construction of a new Federal

District Courthouse to replace the Abraham Ribicoff Courthouse at 450 Main Street, Hartford, CT.

One site under consideration is 61 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT. As part of the environmental impact statement, this address must undergo an historic eligibility assessment of the buildings on the property. There are two buildings to consider: the 1950 Phoenix Insurance Company Headquarters2 and a 1931 garage which was originally part of the 49 Woodland Street property, the Perkins-Clark

House (National Register #78002870).

These buildings have been evaluated using the National Park Service’s National Register Criteria.3 These criteria are intended as a standard against which all properties nominated to the National Register are evaluated. While the buildings in this report may not ever be nominated to the National Register, the use of the standard criteria provides a baseline for the historic eligibility assessment.

PHOENIX INSURANCE COMPANY HEADQUARTERS

Summary

The primary building on the 61 Woodland Street property is the former Phoenix Insurance Company

Headquarters (Phoenix Building). Located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Asylum

Avenue and Woodland Street, this building, constructed between 1949 and 1951, was designed by the

New York architecture firm O’Connor and Kilham.

1 GSA originally identified three potential parcels for this courthouse project, but one parcel was sold to a developer in early

2024 and thus removed from consideration.

2 The Wings of the Phoenix; Being a History of the Birth and Development of the Company, compiled and edited by John Ashmead, Phoenix Insurance Company (Hartford, Conn.); Ashmead, John, 1887-, editor. Hartford - 1954

3 U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, National Register Bulletin, “How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation”, 1990 (revised 1991, 1995, 1997).

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Image 1: Overall location context, northwest section of Hartford, CT.

Image 2: Aerial view of 61 Woodland Street (Google Earth, image date 6/19/2022).

Appendix B

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Historic Eligibility Assessment

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Image 3: Woodland Street façade. Brick veneer in modified Flemish bond, granite base at northeast corner, primary entrance with polished granite columns, steel casement windows with marble surrounds.

The building is clad in brick veneer in a modified Flemish bond pattern4 that creates a distinctive design motif around the entire building. The window openings are framed in marble and fitted with steel casement sash. The base of the building is granite block with a large, one-story band that wraps around the northeast corner of the building. Polished granite columns support the main entrance facing east to

Woodland Street. The logo for the Phoenix Insurance Company is carved into a granite panel to the right of the entrance.

The east and north facing elevations are set back approximately one-hundred feet from the streets

(Woodland Street and Asylum Avenue respectively) and include landscaped lawn with large shade trees at the northeast corner of the property. At the west side of the property, the grade rolls down to the north branch of the Park River which flows along the west boundary of the property. The building is six stories overall but presents as three stories at the Woodland Street elevation with an additional basement, ground floor, and mezzanine level visible at the rear. Outdoor granite terraces at the south and west elevations provide additional access points into the building and additional outdoor seating areas for the original cafeteria and executive areas. At the interior, the building includes a two-level auditorium, cafeteria, and entrance lobby in addition to an array of office and administrative spaces.

Surface parking lots extend from the rear of the building down toward a section of the Park River. This section of the river does flood periodically, affecting the parking in this area.

Despite changing ownership and function of the property in 1974, the building and site generally retain the integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.

4 Flemish bond is alternating headers and stretchers within each course; alternating courses align headers over stretchers. At the Phoenix Building, each course alternates one header with two stretchers and alternating courses align headers over headers.

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Site Context & Development

The area along Woodland Street between Asylum Street and Farmington Avenue is one block north of

Nook Farm and is included within the larger “Nook Farm and Woodland Street National Register

District.”

Nook Farm (south of Farmington Avenue) was a mid-19th century real estate development initiated by

John Hooker and Francis Gillette with the purchase of the Imlay farm that ran from what is now Imlay

Street to the Park River. While not a financial success, Nook Farm took on a reputation as a literary enclave led by Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Many of the houses in this area were designed by noted architects of the time including Octavius Jordan and Edward Tuckerman Potter. The relationships continued as the area expanded north of Farmington Avenue along Woodland Street with large properties arrayed between the Park River and Woodland Street while slightly more modest residences grew up along the east side of Woodland. As an example of these connections, 49

Woodland was owned by Charles Perkins, Mark Twain’s lawyer and nephew of Harriet Beecher Stowe.

The Perkins house was designed by Octavius Jordan whose other notable Hartford works include the

Colt Armory and Armsmear, originally the Samuel Colt mansion.

The Nook Farm and Woodland Street National Register District’s boundaries were set out in 1979 and have been carefully articulated to include these 19th and early 20th century residential buildings while excluding the light commercial buildings such as the Phoenix Building which replaced existing residences in the mid-20th century.

Image 4: Context showing relationship to Nook Farm

& Woodland Street National Register Historic District.

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The 1917 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map5 shows a series of large properties along the west side of

Woodland Street with land extending to (and in some cases beyond) the North Branch of the Park

River. Ownership information noted on the 1917 Sanborn map identifies these parcels:

49 Woodland – Charles E. Perkins (Walter H. Clark, 1924)

61 Woodland – Samuel P. Avery (H. K. Welch, 1930)

71 Woodland (and 1103/1107 Asylum) – Estate of James J. Goodwin

Image 5: Portion of 1917 Sanborn Fire Insurance map, annotated to highlight property boundaries and owners.

In August 1948, the Phoenix Insurance Company acquired the Avery (at the time owned by H. K.

Welch) property and the Goodwin property was purchased in November of 1948. These transactions consolidated approximately eight acres of land at the southwest corner of Woodland Street and Asylum

Avenue for Phoenix Insurance Company’s new headquarters.6 Hartford’s Zoning Board approved a change from residential to commercial for the property with George C. Long, company president, promising a “good looking” office building and not a “typical” business zone type of building.7

5 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut. Sanborn Map Company, 1917. Map.

https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn01132_004/.

6 The Wings of the Phoenix; Being a History of the Birth and Development of the Company, compiled and edited by John Ashmead, Phoenix Insurance Company (Hartford, Conn.); Ashmead, John, 1887-, editor. Hartford - 1954

7 “Zone Change for Phoenix Unit Voted” Hartford Courant, September 22, 1948, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford Courant 1923-.

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The location of the Park River, forming the west boundary of 61 Woodland Street is an important feature of the property and overall area with an important history of its own. Within the scope of this assessment, the importance of the river as an ecological resource, especially north of Asylum Avenue and the impact on the property are important. While much work had been done to the river south of

Woodland Street in order to better handle flooding situations as the river runs into the Connecticut

River, the Phoenix Insurance Company also had a hand in changing the course of the waterway. A 1949 agreement with Julia Gilman Clark, owner of 49 Woodland Street at this time, arranged for the rerouting of the river and thus adjusting the references in the metes and bounds descriptions in the respective property deeds.8 This shifting of the river provided substantially more surface parking for

Phoenix. Not surprisingly, the parking area closest to the river does periodically flood, with warning signs posted.

Image 6: Map associated with 1949 Agreement to reroute section of Park River (855/229), map 302, Hartford Registry of

Deeds.

8 Hartford, CT: Deed reference, Book 855, Page 229, November 4, 1949.

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Image 7: Effect of change of the routing of the Park River. Original outline from 1917

Sanborn map; current path from Hartford GIS system.

Building Narrative

While specific details about the Phoenix Building have not been located, references in news articles, building permits, annotations in the 1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance map, as well as site walkthroughs all provide sufficient information to assess the site’s overall integrity. In short, the building and site generally retain the integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.

Construction began in 1949 with the demolition of the existing residential dwellings and a final certificate of occupancy was granted in early 1951. Overall, the project cost $6.6 million including the land, building, and landscaping. The building quadrupled the floor space available to the company, providing the 767 employees with ample parking and modern architectural upgrades including full air conditioning.9

While under construction, the 1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map has been updated to show some building details based on building plans. These details call out 12” brick curtain walls, steel frame, 9 The Wings of the Phoenix; Being a History of the Birth and Development of the Company, compiled and edited by John

Ashmead, Phoenix Insurance Company (Hartford, Conn.); Ashmead, John, 1887-, editor. Hartford - 1954

O r i g i n a l r o u t e o f P a r k

R i v e r

1 9 4 9 C h a n g e i n P a r k R i v e r r o u t e

BUILDING CONSERVATION ASSOCIATES INC FOR GSA INTERNAL USE ONLY Page 8 concrete floors, brick enclosed elevator shafts (3), automatic sprinkler systems (primarily in basement and public convening spaces such as the auditorium and cafeteria), and air conditioning.10

Image 8: Details from 1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance map.

The building included an auditorium which was used by various community groups including the

Hartford Symphony. At the time, Fritz Mahler, musical director and conductor of the Hartford

Symphony claimed that “the acoustics at the Phoenix Auditorium are, in my opinion, very outstanding.”11 The Hartford Symphony continues to use the auditorium space for rehearsals. Located outside of the city center, the company also included a large cafeteria to support the staff as the building was located in a more residential area that remains underpopulated with respect to local dining options.

During a shareholder meeting in early 1950, the design of the new Phoenix Building was unveiled. The building was described as “thoroughly modern”, yet designed to “fit aesthetically into a city of colonial traditions”. Construction was to be coordinated to preserve the large trees on the site.12 (Image 9)

The Phoenix Insurance Building has been described in contemporary news reports as taking the form of the letter “J” with the head of the letter facing Woodland Street and housing the executive and

10 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 1, - Jul 1950, 1950.

Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn01132_009/.

11 “Phoenix Fire Strongest in its Centennial Year”, Hartford Courant, May 2, 1954, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford Courant 1923-.

12 “Phoenix Insurance Shows Design of New Building”, Hartford Courant, February 18, 1950, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford Courant 1923-.

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BUILDING CONSERVATION ASSOCIATES INC FOR GSA INTERNAL USE ONLY Page 9 administrative functions of the company. The connection and bottom portion of the “J” open to

Asylum Street and housing more utilitarian functions as well as the employee cafeteria and auditorium.13

Image 9: Planned design for new Phoenix Insurance Company. Illustration appeared in Hartford

Courant, February 18, 1950, “Phoenix Insurance Shows Design of New Building”.

Image 10: 1950 Image, presumably after exterior construction completed. Other than the large trees close to the building and an ADA ramp at the front entrance, the building looks the same in 2024. (National Academy of Design, https://nationalacademy.emuseum.com/objects/10587/the-phoenix-insurance-company-hartford-connecticut).

13 “New Home of Phoenix Insurance”, Hartford Courant, August 26, 1951, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford

Courant 1923-.

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Image 11: Illustration of completed building, Wings of the Phoenix, page 15.

The building is clad with brick in a modified Flemish bond of alternating courses of two stretchers and one header which creates a distinctive pattern around the entire building. (Image 12) The north end of the first floor of the east elevation and the ground and first floors of the north elevation are set off from the predominantly brick building with granite ashlar, creating additional visual interest. (Image 13) Granite patios are also located at the south elevation as well as running along the western elevations, facing the

Park River.

Image 12: Example of modified Flemish bond, typical of all brick, all elevations.

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Image 13: North elevation showing granite ashlar base.

The recessed window openings are all trimmed with rectilinear marble jambs that extend beyond the plane of the brick wall to create depth. (Image 14) Windows at the first floor facing west and south and west ends of the main block are larger than other window openings, incorporate profiled marble jambs, and represent the location of original executive offices. (Image 15) The windows in the granite base at the north and east corner are framed with granite set back from the face of the granite wall. (Image 16)

The windows appear to be original steel casement windows with a transom above. There are instances of glass block used at window openings in the basement and ground floor levels.

Image 14: Steel casement windows set in marble framed openings (typical).

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Image 15: Windows at first floor executive level with profiled marble jambs.

Image 16: Steel casement windows set in granite base; no marble trim at these locations..

The primary entrance facing Woodland Street features granite steps with a stainless steel or aluminum center railing leading up to a covered portico. (Image 17) The aluminum storefront assembly includes three swing doors flanked by revolving doors. The ceiling above appears to be aluminum clad with a pattern resembling bead board. The portico is supported by columns clad with polished granite panels in a pink/red hue. A decorative end wall of the same polished granite is located at the south end of the portico. An accessible ramp enters the portico through this wall. Slabs of granite next to the entrance have been carved with the Phoenix Insurance Company logo; a hint of color suggests that the logo may have been gilded originally. A bronze plaque set into the granite flooring of the portico identifies the location of a time capsule “32’ below” the marker. (Image 18) The capsule contains a copy of the

Hartford Courant from September 25, 1950, along with “other items of current significance and historic interest”.14

14 “New Home of Phoenix Insurance”, Hartford Courant, September 25, 1950, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford

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Image 17: Front entrance showing granite steps and pillars as well as company logo.

Image 18: Front entrance showing general location of plaque for underlying time capsule.

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A secondary entrance facing Asylum Avenue features an aluminum storefront entrance, flanked by marble engaged columns. (Image 19) The storefront system at this entrance appears to have been a replacement as all original work was silver, rather than this dark bronze. The interior details at this entrance appear to be original.

Image 19: Secondary entrance facing Asylum Street showing engaged marble columns.

At the west elevation a series of granite steps leads up to three doors topped with a large volume of glass offers entrance to the auditorium space. These openings are also trimmed with marble engaged columns. From the west the granite landing for the auditorium wraps around the south elevation of the building, providing a terraced patio adjacent to a rear entrance and the cafeteria space.

A brick clad penthouse hiding utility services is located atop the main section of the building, setback from the roof edge so as to be partially obscured from ground level. An additional utility tower is located at the northwest corner of the building, shrouded by an aluminum clad enclosure.

There is a deep, overhanging soffit around the entire building. (Image 20) While there is significant atmospheric soiling of this detail, the soffit appears to be all marble with a recessed line detail.

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Image 20: Overhanging, marble clad soffit.

The rear of the building features three double entrance doors allowing for public access directly to the auditorium. (Image 21) The doors are flanked by marble engaged columns and topped with steel framed windows to the full two-story height of the space. At the southwest section, the cafeteria has been framed with a glass curtain wall. An additional glass curtain wall framed by large slabs of marble provides a secondary public entrance to the auditorium space. (Image 22)

Image 21: Rear (west) elevation showing public entrance into auditorium space. Note garage/nursery building at right of image.

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Image 22: Southwest section showing additional public entrance into auditorium space at left and glass walled cafeteria space in center.

For this historic eligibility assessment effort, access to interior spaces was limited. The main entrance lobby is a wide-open expanse with three elevators, flanked by marble jambs. (Image 23) A wood lined corridor leads south from this lobby towards the original executive office wing. At the ground floor, the original employee cafeteria features a double height space with trapezoidal columns supporting a flat ceiling with suspended light fixtures. The space is lit from the south and west with a full height bank of windows. The food preparation side of the cafeteria space is separated from the dining side with walls punctuated by glass block. (Image 24) A double height auditorium is located to the west of the cafeteria.

The auditorium has a small balcony space surrounding the central opening. (Image 25)

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Image 23: Main entrance lobby showing elevators with marble framing, wood wall paneling, stone flooring.

Image 24: View of cafeteria looking southwest.

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Image 25: View of auditorium space, facing north toward stage opening.

Architectural Context

The Phoenix Insurance Headquarters at 61 Woodland Street is an example of the mid-century modern style expressed in a midsize office building. The building was designed by the New York architectural firm of O’Connor and Kilham. The style itself includes such design elements as clean lines, floor to ceiling windows, wood paneling, indoor/outdoor connections, and a varied material palette. The Phoenix building delivers on all those characteristics.

Before joining forces in 1943 both Robert Barnard O’Connor and Walter Harrington Kilham, Jr. had begun successful careers with a variety of documented commissions.

One of O’Connor’s first significant architectural contributions was as the junior partner in the firm

Morris and O’Connor. The design of a new addition to the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Avery

Memorial15, was completed in 1934 and attributed to O’Connor. This minimalist Art Deco exterior contrasts with the earlier Renaissance Revival style buildings making up the Wadsworth as A. Everett

“Chick” Austin, director of the Wadsworth Atheneum, championed a modern addition to the venerable

Hartford institution.16 O’Connor is also credited with involvement in the Bank and Office Building, Bank of New York, 1930 (48 Wall Street, NY, NY, NR Listed 2003).

15 Coincidently, the Avery Memorial at the Wadsworth was built with funds provided by Samuel P. Avery. Avery’s last residence was 61 Woodland Street. That residence was demolished in 1949 to make way for the Phoenix Insurance Company Headquarters.

16 MŌD, Issue 2, 2017. (DOCOMOMO NY/Tri-State’s “occasional publication”)

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Kilham’s early career was established at the firm of Van der Gracht and Kilham where the 1956 AIA directory notes principal works include the Carmelita Hinton17 Residence, Putney, Vt, (1940) and the

Carroll College (now University) Carrier18 Library, Waukesha, WI, (1942).

Together, O’Connor and Kilham were best known for designing, updating, and building additions to libraries, particularly those at colleges and universities. The firm operated through 1969 and designed notable buildings from the collegiate gothic Firestone Library at Princeton University (1946-49) to the eye catching modernist National Library of Medicine (1959-1962). Most buildings fell into the more restrained mid-century modern style with brick cladding and windows trimmed in materials ranging from marble to granite to cast stone. Buildings like the Robert Frost Library (1965) at Amherst College bear a strong resemblance to the Phoenix Insurance Headquarters while Trinity College’s Austin Art

Center (1965) and Barnard College’s Wollman Library (demolished) lean towards the brutalist style.

O’Connor and Kilham also collaborated with noted architect Marcel Breur on the Litchfield High School project in 1953. While O’Connor retired in 1969, Kilham continued on with Kilham, Beder, and Chu.

Phoenix Insurance Company Historical Context

The state’s first publicly owned insurance firm, The Hartford Fire Insurance Company, was chartered in

1810 by the Connecticut General Assembly. Nine years later, the Aetna Fire Insurance Co. was established. The first life insurance company based in Hartford was the Connecticut Mutual Life

Insurance Company (1846). Throughout the 19th century, Hartford's insurance companies cultivated a robust reputation for honoring claims, maintaining financial stability, and introducing pioneering insurance products. They led the industry in offering accident, automobile, and aviation policies, alongside other groundbreaking innovations. As a result, Hartford has long been known as “the insurance capital of the world.”

The Phoenix Fire Insurance Company19 was a part of this legacy. The company was granted a perpetual charter by the Connecticut Legislature in May 1854. Founded by Henry Kellogg, a one-time riverboat captain and later employed by the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, $200,000 was raised for the creation of the Phoenix Fire Insurance Company. An 1854 advertisement announced that the

Company was “organized and prepared to issue policies against loss or damage by fire … and secure the public confidence by an honorable and prompt payment of all just claims for losses.” The most notable moment in the company's history came in the aftermath of the 1871 Chicago Fire, where the Phoenix

17 Carmelita Hinton founded the Putney School in Vermont in 1935. The school was the first co-ed boarding school in New

England.

18 The Carroll College Carrier library was heavily renovated in 1998 and renamed the Todd Wehr Memorial Library.

19 Hartford was also home to the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company. This company should not be confused with the Phoenix Fire Insurance Company of 61 Woodland Street. From an architectural perspective, Phoenix Mutual is known for its 1963 headquarters building, locally referred to as the Boat Building. This unique building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Phoenix Mutual is now part of the Nassau Financial Group.

BUILDING CONSERVATION ASSOCIATES INC FOR GSA INTERNAL USE ONLY Page 20 stood out as the first insurer to compensate for a loss incurred during the calamity, providing $10,000 to Isaac Day.”20

Initially, the firm used leased office space in a variety of locations in downtown Hartford before having their first of three new buildings created at 64 Pearl Street (no longer extant). The company subsequently commissioned 30 Trinity Street in 1917 and finally 61 Woodland Street in 1949.21

At the 1949 Ceremonial groundbreaking, George C. Long, Jr. President of Phoenix announced “we are not building a monument, but a structure of which will have the beauty of utility.” During this same ceremony, Hartford Mayor Cyril Coleman was pleased to note that the “Phoenix-Connecticut” group had “not succumbed to the lure of going out of Hartford to build”22

This planned move from downtown Hartford (30 Trinity Street) to a more suburban area just two miles from the city center was a continuation of insurance company relocations to just north of the city center.23 Although after the removal of street cars in Hartford after 1931, access was limited to bus lines and cars. The importance of the car for the Phoenix Insurance Company is certainly reflected in the vast amount of surface parking available, including that regained from rerouting of the Park River. In

1965, Phoenix acquired 49 Woodland Street from the Clark heirs, expanding parking access and acquiring the now National Register listed Perkins-Clark House (1978) and its remaining garage.

The Phoenix Insurance Company continued operations at 61 Woodland Street until 1966 when the company and its subsidiary the Connecticut Fire Insurance Company merged into the Traveler’s

Corporation. Under the umbrella of the Travelers operations continued at 61 Woodland Street until

1972 when operations were consolidated into the Travelers Tower, back in the center of Hartford.

20 Ibid.

21 Ibid.

22 “New Building Started for Phoenix Home”, Hartford Courant, December 6, 1949, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford Courant 1923-.

23 Rossia Insurance, 1913, Farmington Avenue; Hartford Insurance, 1921, Asylum Avenue; Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance, 1926, Garden Street; Aetna, 1931, Farmington Avenue.

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Image 26: Advertisement celebrating new building, Hartford Courant. March 14, 1952.

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61 Woodland Street after 1972

With the move of insurance company operations from the building, new ownership and use for the building was sought. With the ever-expanding presence of St. Francis Hospital on the Woodland Street block on the north side of Asylum Street, the opportunity for use as medical offices was explored but never came to fruition.24

Meanwhile, the Greater Hartford Community College GHCC, established in 1967, needed to secure new facilities in order to support enrollment growth and accreditation. As early as 1971, the Student

Senate advocated for the acquisition of the Phoenix Building.25 The debate over the acquisition for the

GHCC continued for almost three years. The Hartford City Council expressed concern that state ownership of the property would exclude the site from property taxes and result in a significant impact on the city’s budget.26

In early 1974, the State Department of Public Works Commissioner, Paul Manafort, Sr., announced that it had obtained a lease arrangement with the S & G Co.27 for both 49 and 61 Woodland. Terms of the lease indicated a yearly fee of approximately one million dollars with buyout opportunities every five years. At the time, S & G held an option to purchase 49 and 61 Woodland for $4.5 million and would be expected to invest approximately $1.3 million dollars in renovations. The building would house both the

GHCC as well as other state agencies, largely associated with education.28 This lease arrangement would keep the property on the city’s tax rolls.

Almost immediately concerns were raised that the State could have purchased the parcels for $4.5 million which would be approximately the same as four years of the leasing arrangement.29 By March, public scrutiny on the deal resulted in Governor Thomas Meskill cancelling the lease agreement.30

Ultimately, negotiations continued with the result that the State agreed to purchase 61 Woodland from

24 “Phoenix Offices Eyed for Medical Center”, Hartford Courant, April 19, 1972, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford

25 “Students Ask Legislators to Discuss Split Campus”, Hartford Courant, April 26, 1971, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford Courant 1923-.

26 “City Needs Taxable, Downtown Site for College”, Hartford Courant, September 23, 1973, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford Courant 1923-.

27 S & G Co. was a partnership between real estate developers Allan Schaeffer and Harry Gampel.

28 “State Agencies to Lease 2 Land Parcels, Part for GHCC”, Hartford Courant, January 25, 1974, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford Courant 1923-.

29 “GHCC Site Offer Missed by State”, Hartford Courant, February 27, 1974, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford Courant 1923-.

30 “Offer to Sell City Site For College Reaffirmed”, Hartford Courant, March 6, 1974, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Hartford Courant 1923-.

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S & G for $7.35 million.31 The property transactions were finalized in September of 1974 and the GHCC began classes at 61 Woodland Street almost immediately.

The controversy surrounding the initial lease arrangement continued in the background with investigations into similar arrangements uncovered in other transactions by the State Department of

Public Works. Ultimately, investigations concluded in 1979 and no charges were brought forth. The issue did arise during Meskill’s confirmation hearings for a U.S. Circuit Court judgeship in 1975.32

In 1992, GHCC merged with the Hartford State Technical College and remained operating out of 61

Woodland Street until 2002 when the newly renamed Capital Community College moved out. 61

Woodland Street has continued providing administrative services related to Connecticut’s education operations as well as a training center for the state’s judicial marshal’s service.

Historic Assessment

Based on the architecture, period of construction, and extent of original character defining features, the building is significant under Criterion C of the National Register Criteria. This criterion is defined as embodying the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction. The areas of significance include commerce, industry, and architecture. The period of significance ranges from 1949 to 1974.

The Phoenix Insurance Company headquarters is significant at the state level under Criterion C in the area of architecture as it represents the unique features of a particular style and era of building. The building is a distinctive example of mid-century modern architecture as applied to a low-rise office building of the 1940s through 1970s as designed by the New York based architectural firm of O’Connor and Kilham. The period of significance for Criterion C coincides with the construction and use of the building by the Hartford based insurance firm, Phoenix Insurance Company.

In a discussion of integrity, the building and site retain a surprisingly high degree of integrity. There has been no additional development in the direct vicinity to significantly alter the setting, location, feeling, and association despite a change in ownership of the parcel. While there is evidence of deferred maintenance with elements such as the steel frame windows and minor alterations related to access and life/safety, the original design, materials, and workmanship all appear intact.

31 “Phoenix Building Chosen as GHCC Site”, Hartford Courant, April 17, 1974, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The

Hartford Courant 1923-.

32 “Nomination of Thomas J. Meskill to be United States Circuit Judge: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Ninety-fourth Congress, First Session”, United States Congress, Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975

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PERKINS-CLARK GARAGE

Summary

The small building on the 61 Woodland Street property stands out as an anomaly. The small building has no known association with the Phoenix Building other than its proximity. The building is located just to the south of the rear section of the building, across the main driveway leading to the parking areas at the rear of the building.

Image 27: Aerial view of 61 Woodland Street with garage location highlighted

(Google Earth, image date 6/19/2022).

G a r a g e / N u r s e r y

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Image 28: South elevation of garage/nursery.

Image 29: View looking northwest showing context and relationship between the Phoenix Building (right) and the garage/nursery (left).

The building retains design elements such as window dripstones, vergeboards, and a light stucco render with gauge lines intended to simulate an ashlar stone building. These character defining features are also found on the Perkins-Clark House (49 Woodland Street) which is located to the south of this small outbuilding. While separated by a grove of trees and a parking lot, these two buildings retain their original design association. At the interior the garage has been altered to support its most recent understood function as a daycare nursery in conjunction with the Greater Hartford Community

College.

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Image 30: View of details at Perkins-Clark house (north elevation).

Image 31: View of details at garage (east elevation).

Historic Background

The garage/nursery building was originally part of the 49 Woodland Street parcel, the Perkins-Clark

House. The house’s double name references the original owner, Charles E. Perkins (1861-1924) and the subsequent owner, Judge Walter H. Clark.33 The National Register Nomination Form34 indicates that the Clarks made significant alterations to the home with respect to changing the primary façade from the east to the south but retained the overall design characteristics that Octavius Jordan had designed in

1861. The 1978 National Register nomination notes that the circa 1924 renovations included demolishing a carriage house and gardener’s cottage and a “new barn or garage was constructed”. Also noted, “This new (1924) building is now used as a school.”

By 2024, digital access to building permits provides more data about the building. A 1930 building permit notes the construction of a 24’4”x42’4” three car garage on the 49 Woodland parcel. The permit details that this would be a private garage with concrete foundations, 14” thick walls of “Springfield Cinder

Block”35 with a cellar space under one-third of the building to allow for a hot water heating plant. The main floor over this excavated space was to be constructed of reinforced concrete and “Jones and

33 Note that the 1924 deed for the house indicates that Clark’s wife, Julia Gilman Clark was the owner of 49 Woodland.

Typical of the time period, the 1978 National Register nomination makes no reference to Julia Gilman Clark. Hartford, CT:

Deed reference, Book 560, Page 276, January 25, 1924.

34 National Park Service, National Register Nomination Form, “Perkins-Clark House”, #78002870, 1978.

35 There was a “Springfield Cinder Block Company” in Springfield, OH during this time period.

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Laughlin Junior Beams”36. In addition to the hot water heating plant, the building included a toilet, sink, and electricity for lighting and “convenience outlets”. The original estimated cost was $5,000 with a final cost of $11,000. This certainly represents a significant investment, even for a wealthy owner in

1930/1931.

A sketch in the building permit files shows the main house, a workman’s cottage, and hen house(s) in context with the proposed 3-car garage.

Image 32: Sketch from Building Permit, November 18, 1930, Hartford Building Department.

City directories and U.S. Census records identify William Churchfield and his wife as occupying the

“workman’s cottage” with the 1940 and 1950 Census records specifying his occupation as “gardener”.37

A 1957 building permit notes the replacement of a heating boiler “in rear of property cottage near garage.” While the NR form states that these outbuildings were demolished circa 1924, access to additional information indicates that these buildings were used into the 1950s, after the construction of the Phoenix Building. One can assume that both the cottage and garage were still part of the 49

Woodland parcel at this time and there was no ownership affiliation with the Phoenix Building.

How did this building become associated with 61 Woodland Street? In 1965 the heirs of Julia Gilman

Clark sold the entire 49 Woodland parcel to the Phoenix Insurance Company.38 While Phoenix was merged into the Travelers Insurance Company the following year, both parcels remained with the surviving company. In 1974, as part of the consolidation back to the Travelers Tower in downtown

Hartford, both parcels (in addition to other land holdings in the area) were sold to S & G Company.

The subsequent real estate transaction between S & G and the State appears to have cleaved off the garage, including it with the 61 Woodland parcel. Apparently, the small outbuilding served as a daycare

36 Jones & Laughlin (Pittsburg, PA) Junior Beams were marketed as a lightweight steel beam that could be used in construction of concrete floors without the necessity of shoring, thus saving time and money in the construction of smaller residential buildings.

37 Year: 1940; Census Place: Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut; Roll: m-t0627-00537; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 10-123;

Year: 1950; Census Place: Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut; Roll: 331; Page: 17; Enumeration District: 10-207

38 Hartford, CT: Deed reference, Book 1154, Page 164, December 4, 1965.

BUILDING CONSERVATION ASSOCIATES INC FOR GSA INTERNAL USE ONLY Page 28 nursery in conjunction with the Greater Hartford Community College. The exact use and time period of use has not been located in available documentation.

Historic Assessment of Garage/Nursery

The garage exhibits character defining features that visually match features on the Perkins-Clark House.

These features include wood dripstones over the windows, a scalloped verge board, and faint gauge lines on the finish suggesting that the building is of ashlar stone.

The dripstones on the house are stone (salvaged from a church39)…