West Hartford Connecticut Walking Tour

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Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) is among the oldest Jewish communities in Connecticut. It began as an Orthodox congregation and is now one of the biggest Reform Jewish congregations in the region. Beth Israel formed during the 19th century and built a prominent synagogue in Hartford in 1876. The congregation is a founding member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, now known as the Union for Reform Judaism. During the 1930s, the community relocated to West Hartford and began conducting worship in a new synagogue with a striking Byzantine dome. Designed by Charles R. Greco and built from 1933 to 1936, Temple Beth Israel marks the transition of this Jewish community from the city center out to the suburbs. CBI has continued expanding over the decades and is now a spiritual home for over 700 families.

2. Elizabeth Park and Elizabeth Park Rose Garden

Elizabeth Park is home to the nation’s first public rose garden. the rose garden dates back to 1903 while Elizabeth Park traces its origin to 1894,. In that year, prominent Hartford businessman Charles H. Pond passed away. Pond's last will and testament bequeathed his home, along with the surrounding 90 acres of land, to the city, with the stipulation that the land would become a public park named in honor of his late wife Elizabeth.

3. A. Everett Austin House

This Hartford landmark was the home of Arthur Everett “Chick” Austin Jr., and is known locally as the "Facade House" and other nicknames. The home's exterior was designed to replicate the appearance of a spacious mansion when in reality, the majority of the structure is quite narrow deep despite the property's length and grand exterior. Austin was only in his 20s when he assumed directorship of Hartford’s venerable Wadsworth Atheneum. The man behind this Scarborough Street home described his residents as being “just like me.” He went on to clarify that this was due to the house’s reputation as being “all façade.” In fact, “Façade House” was one of the nicknames given to this residence, along with “Hollywood House” and “Pasteboard Palace” although those even less enamored of its peculiar charm would go so far as to call it “an excrescence.” The house, whose impressive-at-a-distance 86 foot long exterior belies its narrow, 18 foot wide interior, is nevertheless as full of surprise and intrigue as its former owner.

4. Connecticut Historical Society

The Connecticut Historical Society is the state's primary historical repository. Founded in 1825, it is one of the oldest state historical societies in the country. It is located in an old house just to the west of Saint Francis Hospital. The Society operates a museum, library and gift shop at this location. It contains an enormous collection of Connecticut-related materials dating from the 17th century to today including four million manuscripts, over 265,000 artifacts, and125,000 books and pamphlets. There are many notable highlights of the collection such as one of the American flags that was hung in the Presidential box at Ford's Theater where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, and a rare 18th century "round hat" worn by a man named Phineas Meigs, who was perhaps the last American killed in the Revolutionary War (there are two bullet holes in the hat). The museum presents changing exhibits throughout the year and the society also offers many educational programs for children.

5. The Ambassador Apartments

Hartford's Ambassador Apartments building was designed as an “H-shaped” apartment building and constructed in phases between 1917 and 1921. The building was designed in the Italian Renaissance style by Hartford by Berenson and Moses, a Hartford architectural firm. With carved and painted brick with ornate stone flourishes, the Ambassador Apartments building represents one of the best-preserved examples of Italian Renaissance design in the city.

6. The Mark Twain House & Museum

The Mark Twain House & Museum is a National Historic Landmark and the former home of one of the most celebrated authors in American history, Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain (1835-1910). Twain and his family lived in the building from 1870 to 1891. In addition to publishing books, Twain was a journalist, lecturer, entrepreneur, and inventor known for his complex humor and memorable characters. Much of his work explored societal issues related to poverty and class stratification. Twain wrote many of his most important works while living here, including classics like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Prince and the Pauper (1881), and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). The former home served as a school before being remodeled to apartments, but thanks to Twain's fame and the continued interest of the reading public, the former home was restored and reopened as a museum that offers exhibits, events, and tours along with educational programs that allow visitors to learn about Twain’s life and literary legacy.

7. Harriet Beecher Stowe House and Center, Hartford

This National Historic Landmark was the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, for the last 23 years of her life. The house is part of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center which preserves the house and center's collections. The research library includes letters and documents from the family. The house includes original items from the family. In addition to the Stowe House, the historic site includes an 1873 carriage house (the visitor's center) and the Katharine Seymour Day House (1884).

8. Burton House (aka 36 Forest Street House)

The Burton House, also known as the 36 Forest Street House, is a Shingle-style building in the Queen Anne architectural style, constructed circa 1885 (some claim 1895). It is a two-and-a-half-story house with a brick foundation. According to its National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nominating form, it is “a substantial Shingle Style house whose classical detailing enhances its urbanity.” It is historically connected to the Nook Farm literary circle in the 19th Century, which included authors Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain and others. It is the only 19th Century house surviving on Forest Street, an area that was known for its elegant, spacious houses. (A 19th Century horse-drawn carriage appears on the lawn of the present-day house.) The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

9. John & Isabella Beecher Hooker House and Nook Farm

For a time in the 1800s, Hartford’s Nook Farm neighborhood was a hive of literary and reform activity. The neighborhood attracted well-educated and open-minded people from around the country, most notably Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe. The neighborhood began when John Hooker and Francis Gillette bought the 100-acre Imlay Farm, they named Nook Farm because of its location along a bend in the Park River. The home that Hooker built for himself and his wife, Isabella Beecher Hooker, was the first home in the new neighborhood. Both the neighborhood and the Hooker home are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

West Hartford Connecticut Walking Tour

Created by Clio Admin on January 13th 2019, 10:32:18 am.

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Description

This short walk includes many of the leading museums of Connecticut, including the Connecticut Historical Society and Harriet Beecher Stowe House. The tour also includes buildings of architectural and historical significance such as Temple Beth Israel, Elizabeth Park, and its famous conservatory, the Ambassador Apartments, The tour also includes the infamous "Facade House," a historic home that appears to be a substantial mansion but is only eighteen feet wide. The tour concludes at the John & Isabella Beecher Hooker House and Nook Farm.

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West Hartford Connecticut Walking Tour

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