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Transportation access — trolleys, avenues and interstates — has
clearly defined the pattern of development of West Hartford neighborhoods
we see today. It’s clear too, that they have matured gracefully
with time, retaining much the same appeal they had when they were created.
West Hartford’s evolution is primarily the result of the robust
economic growth of Hartford during the post-war eras. High tech industry
and insurance both prospered in the city, creating demand for new housing
on its fringes. Around the turn of the century, trolley lines opened
nearby land to the initial stages of suburban development. In the 50s,
the avenues — Albany, Asylum and Farmington — also became
important auto arteries. In the mid 60s, major highways north and south
(91) and east and west (I-84) made West Hartford a more accessible option
even for families of relatively modest income.
Some of the high tech born in Hartford followed the westward trend, constructing
more efficient one-story buildings and using the highways for shipping
instead of trains. New Park Avenue, New Britain Avenue, Flatbush and
Newington Road all south of West Hartford Center near I-84 were part
of this movement and the housing that filled in around it.
In the first wave of development, mansions built by Hartford’s
captains of industry lined Prospect Avenue’s ridge allowing a view
of the burgeoning city they were creating. The Prospect Avenue neighborhood,
on both sides of the city line north of Farmington Avenue and around
Elizabeth Park, soon filled in with substantial brick Colonials, Tudors
and custom designs, all reflections of the success of professionals who
built them. Between Asylum and Albany Avenues on the Hartford side, Scarborough,
Kenyon, Girard and Woodside Circle all attracted fashionable residences,
as did Sycamore, Belknap, Steele, and Asylum and Albany Avenues just
over the city line. In West Hartford this kind of development continued
north on Bloomfield Avenue toward the University of Hartford, and northwest
in what is called the Hartford Golf Club area.
The Prospect Avenue / Elizabeth Park area, partly in the Hartford's West
End and partly along West Hartford’s eastern border, remains fashionable
today.
Elizabeth Park straddles the border and is maintained by the City of
Hartford and, since 1977, the volunteer support of the Friends of Elizabeth
Park. The park itself is famous for its rose gardens where the blooms
of 15,000 bushes (representing more than 900 varieties) attract visitors
from around the country and newlyweds looking for the perfect setting
for their wedding-day photos. It is also home to a wonderful restaurant,
the Pond House Café.
Elizabeth Park has some interesting history: Encompassing 102-acres,
it was once the estate of Charles H. Pond. He bequeathed the land to
the city of Hartford for use as a horticultural garden named for his
wife, Elizabeth. The small building in the middle of the park is named
not for the pond where children can be seen feeding the ducks, but in
memory of Mr. Pond himself. The city hired Olmsted & Son to design
Elizabeth Park at a time when Pond's former estate fell wholly within
Hartford's city limits. Subsequently, after Hartford's boundary was redrawn
a quarter-mile east, one of Hartford's largest parks was suddenly located
mainly in West Hartford.
As road and related improvements were made farther west on Albany Avenue,
land became available for the development of subdivisions of new-style
ranches, compact Colonials and splits that, by the late 60s, surrounded
Bishops Corner, the commercial nexus of that development spurt. The Crown
Super Market, a kosher food landmark, moved from its original Albany
Avenue location in Hartford to Bishops Corner to stay close to the Jewish
population that was establishing a religious and residential community
there.
Similarly, a segment of the Hartford’s north-end Irish community
established a new 60s and 70s neighborhood west of North Main Street.
Northwest Catholic High School and St. Timothy’s Church and elementary
school were created as central institutions for the many families who
moved to this part of West Hartford. Open land just south on North Main
Street allowed the construction of Hall High School, formerly located
in the Center, and brought new subdivisions along a variety of pleasant
streets.
From Bishops Corner, Albany Avenue becomes the Albany Turnpike (RT 44),
widens then stretches west, connecting West Hartford, Avon and Simsbury.
Impressive homes perched along the western hilltops overlook Hartford,
West Hartford and the Farmington Valley.
Main Street runs north from Bishops Corner into Route 218 in Bloomfield,
which connects to Interstate 91.
Main Street, heading south, crosses Farmington Avenue as it runs west
out of Hartford. This intersection, the geographical at the midpoint
of the town, known simply as West Hartford Center, has for many years
been the town's principal retail district, the seat of town government
and site of many community events.
In the 80s, the Center lost some of its traditional retail base. But
in the 90s, the Center reinvented itself by building upon its unique
assets – small-scale architecture, pedestrian amenities and convenient
parking. This combination helped to attract some of the Hartford region’s
most celebrated restaurants and upscale clothiers, and helped retain
well-established jewelers, clothiers and other specialty shops that fit
nicely into the rejuvenated mix. Over the past decade the Center, which
attracts an upscale professional crowd, has been dubbed the "region’s
downtown” by local media. And it does seem that all roads do lead
to where Main and Farmington meet.
Traveling west out of the Center, Farmington Avenue crosses Mountain
Road, a major north-south artery, and becomes the main connection to
the town of Farmington.
East of the Center, beyond the town green, Blue Back Square is moving
into its final phases of construction and preparation for opening this
year. Although sometimes described as a part of the Center and certain
to add to the “downtown” label, Blue Back — with 230,000
square feet of trendy retail, 60,000 square feet of offices, a major
healthcare facility, a large grocer, 120 luxury condos and a movie theater — has
its own distinct identity.
Blue Back and the Center are linked to Interstate 84 by South Main Street.
South Main moves directly from the Center, and Trout Brook Drive extends
directly from the Blue Back; both thoroughfares take you to Park Road
and Elmwood.
Extending for 12 blocks west of the Hartford city line, Park Road retains
much of its old-city-commercial-strip character with ethnic food outlets,
down-to-earth eateries, longtime family businesses, taverns and tony
salons sprinkled in between — without any noticeable intrusion
by chain operations. There is still housing above some stores and the
neighborhood features many solid two- and three-family homes.
Small, tidy single-family residences dominate Elmwood. An area that developed
as a result of the convenience of I -84 and the high-tech industries
that came along with the highway. New Britain Avenue is its main commercial
strip and links it to New Park Avenue to the east and the Corbin's Corner
/ Westfarms section of town located in the opposite direction. The New
Park Avenue area is evolving into a center for specialized home products
and design services.
West, across South Main, Conard High School and Rockledge Country Club
dominate the landscape. Conard was built in the late 1950s to accommodate
the population growth. In 1970, Hall High would come on line to meet
the needs of a still growing town. Rockledge is a nifty 18-hole facility
owned by the town and open to the public.
West of Conard and Rockledge, well-groomed neighborhoods surround excellent
elementary schools. Above Ridgewood Road, the Wood Pond and Woodridge
Lake areas, once seasonal places, have grown to be stylish waterfront
abodes. Nearby, town-owned swimming and skating facilities are complemented
by Buena Vista Golf Course, a sweet 9-hole, par-32 set-up that totals
less than 2,000 yards.
On the town’s southwest fringe, situated mostly in Farmington but
always associated with West Hartford, Westfarms Mall is the granddaddy
of regional retail centers. Its location next to Interstate 84, as well
as its connection to the town’s main internal arteries, gives it
ready access to both a regional and local markets of enthusiastic shoppers.
Built in 1974, it encompasses more than 1.3 million square feet and 160
stores where escalators and, of course, air conditioning make for no-sweat
shopping.
West Hartford may be taking on more prominence as a regional attraction
because of its restaurants, retail and commercial infrastructure. But
mainly it’s a town blessed with great neighborhoods where common
values and aspirations endure.
– B. P.
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