Trinity College's Fence on Vernon Street

This rather imposing looking iron fence separates Vernon Street from Broad Street. It stretches several blocks down Broad Street, only ending at the edge of campus. Although Trinity College's campus is technically open to the public, very few Hartford residents ever enter. The fence is a physical and symbolic gesture that creates a barrier between the surrounding community and the college.

In 1994, two cars sped down Vernon Street in a gang-related car chase, culminating in an on-foot conflict and the eventual arrest of the two gang members. Despite being a public street, Vernon ran right through Trinity College's campus, so it naturally caused quite a shock to the school. Suddenly, though, the rhetoric turned to an issue of "traffic safety", and within four months of the chase, the iron fence down Broad Street was extended to close off Vernon Street, with three traffic bollards preventing access by car. Frog Hollow residents, students, and faculty alike still argue about the true motive for the blockade, but its restricting effect remains the same regardless.

Baldwin, Davarian L. In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower. Bold Type Books, 2021.