Author: Daniel

On August 26, 1899, the upper portion of the steeple (including the heavy capstone) of the Pearl Street Congregational Church in Hartford was brought to earth safely through the efforts of contractor William F. O’Neil. This feat of engineering, which was witnessed by a crowd of thousands and was captured in a photograph, was the culmination of weeks of planning, preparation and public scrutiny. The ongoing work of church demolition, and speculation about how the steeple would finally be brought down, attracted the attention of passers-by, who marveled at the dangerous work of steeple-climber John Kiffe. The ongoing work also sparked a number of reminiscences about the building and the colorful personalities associated with it from a number of long-time Hartford residents. Utilizing contemporary accounts from the Hartford Courant and the Hartford Times newspapers, this video brings to life those days in August of 1899 when a Hartford landmark was reduced to rubble. It shows how a complicated problem of engineering was solved and reminds us of the fascinating personalities that inhabited the city over 200 years ago.

This video is about what Ann Uccello Street in Hartford was like before the Civic Center was built. It covers the section between Asylum Street and the highway. On the west side, the Morse School building, the Russian Lady building, the former Masonic Temple, the old Hartford Wire Works building (now home to Agave and Aladdin restaurants) and St. Patrick – St. Anthony Church survive, but the old Foster/Weldon Block and St. Patrick – St. Anthony School are lost. On the east side of Ann Street, where the Civic Center stands today, there were once many old buildings, including Engine Company No. 4, home of the “Pride of Hartford,” and a Y.W.C.A. building. Just to the north was the lost Hotel Hartford.

In this video I talk about Pippie’s and B. DePasquale & Sons on Front Street, the Clover Leaf Cafe’s La Rosa Dining Room and Mickey’s Villanova on Market Street and the origins of Frank’s Restaurant.

Now lost, Hartford’s two oldest restaurants were the Honiss Oyster House (1845-1982) and the Marble Pillar (1860-1993). In this video I talk about the history of both these vanished institutions.