Four historic houses were moved in Hartford Thursday and that move impacted traffic and other homes in the area.
The homes on Lincoln Street were moved to other locations in the city. Two homes moved to Putnam Street, one moved to Lawrence Street and one moved to Hungerford Street.
Part of Broad Street, Ward Street, Putnam Street, Park Street, Hungerford Street, and all of Lincoln Street were impacted and no parking signs were posted 24 hours in advance on the whole route.
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The houses were relocated to create space for a new nine-story $60 million parking garage for Connecticut Children’s, retail space and more, according to the website for the project and Connecticut Children's.
We spoke with neighbors where the new homes travelled to who said they’re excited to have the empty properties filled.
Connecticut Children's contributed $1 million towards the cost of moving the homes, while the City of Hartford contributed $2.5 to $3 million.
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Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said he would have preferred the money go towards a homeowner investment fund. He said that would give more people in Hartford the ability to own homes than the four that were maintained.
"I think it's important to preserve housing. I think it's important to invest in historic preservation, but to those who view this as an unmitigated win, I am not in your column," Arulampalam said.
In addition to the houses being moved, J Restaurant Bar is closing down after more than 50 years to make room for the hospital expansion.
The owner said they will have “one last hoorah” before it is torn down.
They are inviting patrons to grab a seat and a bite to eat one last time as they watch the houses head down the street.
The owner says some potential options for next steps could be starting a commercial kitchen at its new warehouse or coming back to be a part of the new garage and retail space.
