Hartford’s Georgian Revival style West Middle Middle School of 1930 replaced the school’s earlier building, a Victorian Gothic structure designed by Richard M. Upjohn and erected in 1873. The school‘s original facade faces Asylum Avenue in the city’s Asylum Hill neighborhood. Its design, like that of a number of other buildings in the city, was based on that of the Old State House. Update (2017): the school recently underwent a major renovation. West Middle Community School now has its main entrance on Niles Street. The Mark Twain branch of the Hartford Public Library has moved to a location inside the school, with its entrance being the school’s former front facade on Asylum Avenue.
The post-renovation picture above replaces the original photo for this post below:
I attended West Middle School during the
1950s. Mrs. Murphy was the principal during that time, and Miss Day was our music teacher throughout the elementary school years. The school still looks majestic with its white columns. I remember my first day as a kindergartener wearing black and white saddle shoes with bobby sox, and a freshly starched gingham dress. The photo brought back some fond childhood memories of yesteryear.
Anchorage, Alaska
I also attended West Middle School in the 50’s K-3rd grade. My Kindergarten teacher was Ms Tierney, 1st and second grade Mrs. Weinstein. Third grade teacher was Mrs. Noel.
My mother was on the PTA.
My family lived down the street (1025 Asylum Avenue)on the third floor of the Castonguay Insurance Company building across from the Hartford Insurance building.
Living there in the 50’s was a great experience and I have many stories that I have told my children about how life was then.
I attended West Middle in the 50’s: 6th grade teacher was Ms. Sullivan, and 7th grade teacher, Ms. Tierney. Ms. Sullivan helped me quite a bit especially because I would not speak and only answer by shaking my head. Both were great teachers and marvelous persons. My name then was Lucia A. Lima. I keep my Home Ec. cookbook as a souvenier although the recipes are great.
A walk down memory lane! Just read the response from Lucia Lima Polacchini, dated on September 9, 2012. I knew a Lucia Lima who attended West Middle School during the 50s. We met at school and became good friends. Lucia would invite me over for lunch on Saturdays. Her mom made tasty sandwiches and salads. During those lunches, I had the opportunity to get to know her friendly parents and younger sister at their home. They were living on Dauntless Lane, only a block away from my apartment building on Sargeant Street in Hartford . I recall that Lucia and her family were from Brazil. I lost touch with the Lima family after they moved away. It’s been quite a few years
and many miles since the West Middle School years!
Sonia Miskin Walker
Caldwell, Idaho
(previously from Anchorage, Alaska)
I found this thread while searching for Dauntless Lane in GoogleMaps. Either the street is gone now, or it has been renamed. My family lived there about 1951 to 1955, when the big hurricane and flood ruined our apartment and we moved to West Hartford. I went to kindergarten just for a couple of months at West Middle School, also with Miss Tierney. Nice to see these other notes! (My name back then was Betty Duncan.)
We also lived on Dauntless Lane in the 50s, prior to the floods of 1955 which badly damaged the apartments there. The street is no longer there, but has been partially replaced by Woodland Park. After the floods, the Park River which was key to the floods was buried in order to avoid future flooding such as that in 1955. We only lived in Hartford a few months, and my sister and I attended West Middle School.
My family moved to Hartford from Plattsburgh, NY in 1953, when I was 3 years old. We lived on Dauntless Lane for about a year and then moved to Branford Street in Hartford. So I went to Rawson School, which is still there, and so did my sister. The only neighbors I can name from Dauntless Lane are Eliane and Bruce Hyndman, who had two children, a boy and a girl.
I went to West Middle from 3rd to 8th grade. My family moved from Brown Street in Hartford the Summer of 1964 to Sargeant Street. I had Miss Kennedy as my Third Grade teacher. Miss Day was the music teacher then to. I don’t remember who the Principal was when I was in Third grade. I believe it was a woman. Later on Mr. Sumner became Principal.
I had Mrs. Daly for 4th grade and Ms. DiNicola for 5th.
It was wonderful neighborhood back then to grow up in.
My name was Deborah Christie I went to West Middle School from first grade to eighth grade also had miss Tierney Miss Sullivan was my inspiration for music and acting and broadway had Mrs Daley can’t remember what grade lived it there had a lot of friends and great teachers please reply if you remember me !! My best friend was Lizzie McDougall classmates were Cindy Gemma’s Liz Heieigh Darlene Drown Smokey David Lemire David Veal Donna Bialik and many more great times!!
I went to West Middle School from around 1965 to 1968 or 69. Pretty sure I went through to 3rd grade. Then we moved to New Britain and I went to Israel Putnam 4th to midway 6th grade (moved to VT).
I don’t remember my Kindergarten teacher but still have the memory of naps and snack time of saltines and Hawaiian Punch – never forgot that combination of flavors!! I do remember Mrs. Weinstein. She was so nice especially when I went through the whole eye patch/glasses attempt to cure a lazy eye. I found out later in life it was actually an under-developed eye and not lazy.
Wish I could remember more on Israel Putnam teachers and students – 4th to mid 6th grade. I still remember my one best friend from that time (Laura E.) as we were pen pals for a while but it did fade over time. I didn’t want to leave to move to VT midway through 6h grade as I was just chosen crossing guard. What a bummer that was!
I attended Kindergarten at Israel Putnam School, but only Kindergarten since my parents wanted me to attend Holy Cross School on Farmington Avenue, just a tiny ways from Israel Putnam, At that time, Holy Cross didn’t have a Kindergarten.
Hi Deborah Christie
I think you’re a couple years older then me. I knew Lizzie McDougall as Kim Belair who was a good friend of mine went to her house after school as her mother wasn’t home when she got out if school. I knew Cindy Gemma as well. Darlene Drown’s brother was in my grade and knew David Lemire. All these names from the past bring back good memories.