Lost Buildings of Hartford Public High School
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2024
- In Hartford, Connecticut, the old campus of Hartford Public High School, which one stood between Hopkins and Broad Streets, is fondly remembered as a lost treasure of the city's architectural and educational history. In my latest video I talk about this lost landmark, which was destroyed to make way for highway construction in the 1960s. I also discuss the high school's origins and its previous buildings.
It started as the Hartford Grammar School, which started in 1638, but became a true high school in 1847. From then until 1869, it was located at the corner of Asylum and Ann Streets. Its first building on Hopkins Street, built in 1869, burned down in 1882. This was replaced by what would grow into a campus complex consisting of the Hopkins Street building (first phase erected in 1882-1884, second phase in 1897-1898), the Manual Training Building (erected in 1898), and the Broad Street building (first phase erected in 1914-1915, second phase in 1917-1918). The current building on Forest Street opened in 1963.
In this video I use an image from the Connecticut Historical Society, "Horse and sleigh in front of the ruins of Hartford Public High School, Hopkins Street, Hartford."
Accession number 2000.188.26
2824 img0066.pcd
hdl.handle.net/...
I also use an image taken at the Hartford History Center, Hartford Public Library:
hplct.ent.sirs...
I also use images from the Loring Collection, Hartford Public High School Museum & Archive:
ctdigitalarchi...
Website of the Hartford Public High School Museum & Archive:
hphs1638.wordp...
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The 2 pics at 22:22 break my heart. Showing the school before and after the highway. What a loss! Thanks for posting these videos!
Thanks!
Class of 1963, last to graduate from the old school. Watched the wrecking ball knock down the Broad Street building from the other side of the street. Long-time principal Thomas Quirk, just retired, died at the wheel of his car just outside the school on Broad Street one morning in 1963. We all saw his black Caddy empty at the curb.
It’s amazing that anything is left in Hartford . The neighborhoods are in ruin and most of any beautiful grand commercial buildings are gone.
Excellent! I'm researching an architect (Russell Barker) that I believe attended Hartford High School in the 1890's, which was designed by George Keller, who he later worked for! Barker then designed Sedgwick Middle School where I have been working for 24 years. Very cool. Thanks
I took a typing class in summer school in 1962, so I got to see a tiny bit of the building. My mother and aunts all went there in the 30s and told stories about the buildings, especially the art classes that were in a turret. Even then, there had been so many students in those buildings that the stone stairs were hollowed out like some of the medieval castles in Europe.
What horrific and senseless destruction. There is a special place in hell for the mid-century highway designers who ruined so many American cities.
HPHS CLASS OF 1983..Great Video 👍
Fantastic video Dan, thanks! c/o 1957
What magnificent structures lost to "progress".
I attended HPHS in 1981 for one year, and there were pictures throughout the school of the old building and they always made me sad
Such a loss.
I graduated from HPHS in 2010. My history teacher taught me about the great history of our school and I knew about the first building being burnt down. I never knew the second building was that amazing looking and eventually destroyed for a highway that the city wants to replace if I’m not mistaken. Thanks for keeping this history alive.
@@laurapriest8257 thanks for the kind words. I am doing well. I am a teacher myself now. So I tryna to expose my students to the wonderful history of our state we have a tremendous history. I hope you are doing well yourself. I don’t know if you said this back in your owl days but you can’t rock the pub. Never could never will second oldest high school in the nation! Take care and enjoy your weekend or day whenever you read this!
Wonderful presentation! Growing up in Harford in the 50's and 60's, use to visit a friend of the family who's home was on Hopkins St. I recall when they demolished the school in the 60's. Fortunately, all of the schools I attended in Hartford, except for one are still there, all be a couple of the names have changed. Dwight, Vine St., Burr, Kinsella, Fox (on Washington St. then), Buckley (on Maple Ave.), and Prince Tech. Saint Patrick's, Saint Anthony's Catholic school is sadly gone, although the church is still there. I recall when attending school there having to exit the classroom several times for a few minutes (because of the large windows) while they blasted for I-84.
Thankfully not every school building in Hartford suffered destruction like HPHS!
Don't forget arsenal at 1800
Don't forget arsenal school at 1800 main street Henry hawk Hall.
Main street.
But where is footage of it in the 1960’s and 70’s? Hope there’ll be some soon. Also of the Burns Elementary School, Noah Webster Middle School, South Catholic High. 🙏proud to be an alum of HPHS, as was my dad during the 1930’s era.
Mr. Qruick the principal in the 50'swas a friend of mlnd the buildings broad and hopkins street. Class of 58. Henry hawk hall.
Dont forget arsenal school 1800 main street north. Hartford conn. Henry hawk hall.
Thanks for another outstandingly researched presentation on Hartford architecture. Demolition of the old HPHS has to stand as one of the worst architectural loss catastrophes in Hartford's history...and the lord sure knows there were many! I'm now thinking of another building, similar in design. It stood on Hudson St and I think was originally designed as a grammar school. It eventually was purchased and used by Hillyer College in the 1930-40s and then during the early years of the University of Hartford which I attended in the early 1960s?
Not sure, I'll have to look into that one!
@@historywithdansterner263 I did a bit of checking on my own. It was the Chauncy Harris School building, before that the South School from 1769 -1886. More here cslib.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p128501coll0/id/1978/
Thank you for this. I never had the detail, as described here, about the second oldest high school in the country. An added plus is the photo of students exiting appears to have captured an image of my sister (HPHS '61). I am HPHS '73.
We know that the Alvin Clark telescope still exists ( I used that frequently when I attended), but any idea what happened to the old Hopkins Street Building clock???
Well done!
The clock might be at the new High School's museum, but I'm not sure.
Bicentennial grad, and proud of HPHS!
Class of 2013 HPHS 🤞🏾💯
Barnard… who is Brown, which the school was named after?
From The Names of Hartford’s Public Schools and other historical notes
hhc.hplct.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/A-Brief-History-Hartford-Schools.pdf
"Henry Barnard (1811-1900) was one of the great pioneers in American education. He was born in Hartford
in the 1807 brick house at 118 Main Street opposite South Green. South Green is Hartford’s first park, and
Park Street is named as the street that began at the park. Barnard’s house still stands with the Greek revival
portico that he added in 1843. Henry Barnard was a reformer of public schools in Connecticut and Rhode
Island. He was principal of the first State Normal School of Connecticut in New Britain, the first
commissioner of education in Rhode Island, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin (1858-1860),
president of St. John’s College in Annapolis (1866-1867) and was the first United States Commissioner of
Education (1867-1870). He believed that all schools should be “good enough for the richest, and affordable
by the poorest.”
Henry Barnard died on July 5, 1900 and following a funeral service at his home on Main Street was buried
in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford.
Flavius A. Brown was born in Hebron on August 31, 1806. Accordingly to contemporary accounts, “at the
age of 16 he had acquired great proficiency in the use of the pen, and left home to become an instructor of
penmanship. His schools in Manchester and Vernon were more largely attended than any in the county.”
He came to Hartford as a “teacher of writing” and in 1868 was the chairman of the committee to decide
what new buildings were needed to accommodate the growing number of students in the city. “The voters
instructed them (the committee) to select a site and put up a new edifice. The building was completed in
1869 and by unanimous vote of the district” the school was named The Brown School in his honor. The
school stood on the corner of Market and Talcott Streets. A second school building was erected there in
1897 and the Cone Annex on Talcott Street in 1922. For forty-three years he served as the chairman of the
First School District. Among the Brown School’s graduates were Sophie Tucker, Otis Skinner and Morgan
G. Bulkeley.
Mr. Brown was secretary of the Hartford County Agricultural Society for several years, a communicant and
vestryman of the Christ Church Episcopal, and a senior member of the book firm of Brown and Gross since
1835. In 1857 he was elected the Democratic Treasurer of the city and a year later was also elected the
Treasurer of the town, and continued to be elected to both positions until his death. Notices recorded that
“he guarded and looked after the city funds with great care, and has left a record of good financial
accountability.” Mr. Brown was also a director of the Connecticut River Bank, the State Mutual Fire
Insurance Company, treasurer of the Larrabee Fund, and of the Hartford Bank.
Flavius A. Brown died on February 13, 1880 at his home on Main Street in Hartford."
@@historywithdansterner263 thanks for the history lesson