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So far Olivia Grella has created 14 blog entries.

Bellamy-Ferriday House’s Shutters Get a Fresh Look with Fresh Start Pallet Products

After a preliminary assessment at the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden of the current shutter conditions, Connecticut Landmarks, with the assistance of a historic carpenter, determined that the shutters are in need of replacement. We contracted the expertise of Hartford-based nonprofit, Fresh Start Pallet Products, to replicate the shutters. Fresh Start employs and trains individuals recovering from addiction, life challenges, and recent refugees beginning their new life here in the United States. Their team creates high-quality products, primarily from reclaimed-salvaged wood, and, in partnership with community organizations, provides education and training through the Richard P. Garmany Fresh Start Academy.

Pictured are over 1,000 slats to be used to replicate and replace the shutters. The existing shutters are currently being surveyed and documented.

By |2024-09-17T14:48:40-04:00August 2nd, 2024|Preservation|Comments Off on Bellamy-Ferriday House’s Shutters Get a Fresh Look with Fresh Start Pallet Products

Garret Window Restoration at the Joshua Hempsted House

Following years of exposure to wind and rain, a wooden window in the garret of the Joshua Hempsted required repair to prevent futher damage. The third-floor space is believed to have been a sleep and work space used by Adam Jackson. Fink & Son Carpentry & Woodworking removed the original window, boarded the opening, and repaired the window frame. The restored window was then reinstalled.
It is crucial to maintain the integrity of the windows in the home to protect against moisture or weather-related damage so we can continue to share the story of Jackson, the enslaved man who lived and worked at the Hempsted Houses for more than three decades, in the place wherein he resided. 
By |2024-07-24T14:57:19-04:00July 24th, 2024|Preservation|Comments Off on Garret Window Restoration at the Joshua Hempsted House

Connecticut Landmarks Receives 1772 Foundation Grant for Historic Fence Restoration at Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden

Connecticut Landmarks is honored to be one of the sixteen Connecticut recipients of a 1772 Foundation grant administered in cooperation with Preservation Connecticut. The funds from this grant will help restore the 900-feet of historic wood fencing at the Phelps Hatheway House and Garden in Suffield. The fence, originally built in three stages, has three unique styles: a simple picket fence, an ornate section originally constructed by Asher Benjamin circa 1794 with decorative coined columns, as well as a gothic-style fence. Through this ongoing project, new wooden replicas of the column caps will be reproduced and installed. Missing elements due to weather damage, rot, and age will be replaced; repairs made where needed; and the entire fence power washed, primed, and repainted.
We are grateful to the 1772 Foundation, Preservation Connecticut, and state representatives such as State Senator John A. Kissel who recognize the importance of historic preservation and support the work we do to steward our historic properties, which are vital to the stories we share and the communities where they reside. Learn more about the 1772 Foundation at www.1772foundation.org.
Pictured left to right: Robert Brock, Interim Executive Director at Connecticut Landmarks; Aileen Bastos, Preservation Manager at Connecticut Landmarks; Jane Montanaro, Executive Director at Preservation Connecticut; Lynn Mervosh, Site Administrator at the Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden; and State Senator John A. Kissel.
By |2024-07-12T10:59:14-04:00July 12th, 2024|Preservation|Comments Off on Connecticut Landmarks Receives 1772 Foundation Grant for Historic Fence Restoration at Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden

Music Returns to the Butler-McCook Garden in Hartford

Hartford’s summer air will once again be filled with vibrant jazz melodies against the backdrop of sunset skies. Every second Thursday from June through September, bring a lawn chair and a picnic dinner while you enjoy music and an artist’s exhibition in the lovely setting of the Butler-McCook House & Garden during our Sunset Sounds Concert Series. The series kicks off this Thursday with Jen Allen “Heart Alchemy.”  Be sure to stay for a free tour of Butler-McCook House’s first floor! Audio tours are available via the IZI.Travel app for the historic garden. The Amos Bull House will also celebrate a featured artist’s exhibition in our community room.

On Friday, June 21, perennial crowd favorite Ed Fast and Congabop returns to Hartford’s best kept secret—our historic garden oasis–as we join cities worldwide on the longest day of the year to celebrate the annual Make Music Day Hartford. Bring your dancing shoes and have no doubt that this will be an exciting performance filled with Fast’s original tunes and rumbafied standards and his stellar line-up of performers, including legendary percussionist Sammy Figueroa.

Registration appreciated, but walk-ups always welcome to all music performances!

See Other Programs in Sunset Sounds Concert Series »

By |2024-06-10T14:54:56-04:00June 10th, 2024|News|Comments Off on Music Returns to the Butler-McCook Garden in Hartford
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