Elm Street Historic District (Hartford, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Elm Street Historic District
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Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 71-166 Capitol Ave., 55-97 Elm St., 20-30 Trinity St., Hartford, Connecticut |
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| Area | 15 acres (6.1 ha) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Renaissance, Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84001003 |
| Added to NRHP | June 28, 1984 |
The Elm Street Historic District is a special area in Hartford, Connecticut. It's packed with amazing old buildings that show off different styles of architecture. You can find it near the Connecticut State Capitol building. This district includes some of Hartford's best buildings from the early 1900s. These include places like Bushnell Memorial Hall and several important state offices. Because of its unique buildings, the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Exploring the Elm Street Historic District
The Elm Street Historic District is located in the southwest part of downtown Hartford. It's bordered by Bushnell Park to the north and the state capitol complex to the west. The district covers about 15 acres (or about 6 hectares). It originally featured fourteen buildings that were important to history. These buildings are found along Capitol Avenue, and on the south side of Elm Street between Trinity Street and Pulaski Circle. They also stretch along Trinity Street from Elm to Buckingham Street.
Famous Buildings in the District
One of the biggest buildings in the district is the State Office Building. It sits between Capitol Avenue and Buckingham Street. This building is a great example of Classical Revival architecture. This style uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. It also has cool Art Deco details, which was a popular design style in the 1920s and 1930s. The State Office Building was built in 1930.
Right next to the State Office Building is the Bushnell Memorial Hall. It was also finished in 1930 and designed by the same architects. The outside of Bushnell Memorial Hall looks like Georgian Revival style. This style is inspired by buildings from the Georgian period in England. But the inside is full of rich Art Deco designs.
Other Notable Buildings
As you go east from the Bushnell area on Capitol Avenue, you'll see the First Presbyterian Church. This church was built in 1870. It shows off the Romanesque Revival style, which often features round arches and sturdy walls.
North of the Bushnell, at the corner of Trinity and Elm Streets, is the old Orient Insurance Company building. Today, it's where the state treasurer's office is located. This building is a beautiful example of Beaux Arts architecture. This style is known for being grand and decorative. It was built in 1905.
Along Elm Street, east of the old Orient Insurance Company, there were once three large buildings. These were all built by insurance companies between 1917 and 1926. There was also the J.M. Ney building, which used to be a factory. While some of these buildings have been taken down, one important one remains. The Scottish Union & National Building now houses the state appellate court. This court helps decide if legal cases were handled correctly.
