Hartford Seen by Pablo Delano

Author:Pablo Delano
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
Published: 2020-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

Greenfield Street, 2013

Delano presents his metropolis “in a state of flux” (Delano, “Conversations”), sparsely peopled but densely textured. He reveals how outsiders disguise iniquitous investments as urban revitalization, so-called “benevolent” interventions, commonly bypassing “minority” populations in a city where they are the majority.

Elm Street, 2013 (p 025) displays a row of aged Federal brick buildings. More modern structures rise behind them, including the Travelers Tower (the pink granite skyscraper was the world’s seventh-tallest when completed in 1919). Two of the buildings facing the camera appear in disrepair. The squarely positioned image, geometrical figures, sharp lines, and intermediate saturation add a lithographic quality. Despite their shabbiness, the front-facing constructions blazon architectural beauty enhanced by the pictorial qualities of the shot. A segment of a timeworn building peeks out on the left as a synecdoche of blight; scaffolding indicates, nevertheless, that it is being remodeled. A shuttered middle building, apparently structurally sound, shows off alluring roof details, low relief trim elements, outsize windows, and large barn doors. This is 38–40 Elm Street, a historic carriage house close to Bushnell Park, centers of power, and the Elm Street Historic district crucial to downtown redevelopment plans. As of 2018, developer Dan Peabody renovated this building, at a cost of $1.2 million, for which he received generous tax incentives and low-interest loans. Enticing downtown relocation, the building now features six elegant rental apartments.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.