The origins of the Hartford Seminary go back to the opening of the Theological Institute of Connecticut in 1834 in East Windsor Hill. Some houses in that neighborhood, where professors at the institute once lived, have survived, but the original seminary buildings have not. In 1865, the Institute moved to Hartford and in 1885 changed its name to the Hartford Theological Seminary. After occupying several old houses on Prospect Street, in the 1880s the Sminary moved to a campus on Broad Street, across from Hartford High School. In the 1920s, the Seminary moved to a new Gothic campus (now the UCONN Law School). In 1972, the Seminary changed from being a traditional residential divinity school and became an interdenominational theological center. It was decided to sell the old campus and construct a single building, designed by Richard Meier, a post-modern architect known for his use of the color white. The new structure was built between 1978 and 1981 and in the latter year the institution’s name was changed to Hartford Seminary.
I was not aware that Hartford Seminary is considered a postmodern building. True, it comes after the international style in the early 1980s, but it is undeniably modern. In my opinion, Meier’s work shares none of the same philosophies as post-modernism and could be seen as a direct descendant of true modernism.
Their own website calls it postmodern, but you are undoubtedly correct, so I’ll change the categorization to modern.
What is the story behind the campus of Gothic buildings on Bloomfield Avenue, where the sign reads: Pastoral College. Didn’t the Seminary occupy that group also. Who owns them now?
Natalie,
I think you are referring to the St. Thomas Seminary, which is a Catholic seminary:
https://historicbuildingsct.com/st-thomas-seminary-1930/
Daniel,
Thank you very much. I have been very confused because there has been a lot of attention paid recently to the Hartford Seminary and its reiterations, but nothing mentioned about St. Thomas Seminary.