A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday for a development project intended to help reconnect Hartford's downtown with its economically-struggling North End. Supporters of the project see it as an attempt to mend old divisions.
The almost $22-million housing and retail project is located at a major intersection on Main Street between downtown and the neighborhoods to the north. The project is near the city's police department, Dunkin' Park, and across the street from the Keney Memorial clock tower.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said some of the project’s restored nineteenth century buildings have seen a lot of history, including a telling moment during riots after the 1968 assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
"I've heard the story from so many residents who were around at the time, that police officers stood at the line right here in front of the Keney tower, and prevented rioters from going into the downtown, as if to say you can burn the North End of Hartford, but the downtown is separate from Hartford," Arulampalam said. "It’s felt like North Hartford has been separated from the rest of the city."
"It's about reconnecting our city," Arulampalam said.
At the time, Hartford's North End had a large Black population and the downtown was largely a business area, and predominantly white.
Arulampalam said for many decades since the 1960’s, it felt like North Hartford had been separated from the rest of the city by the construction of I-84 and the creation of a vast expanse of parking lots north of downtown.
The development’s location was the site of vacant or run-down buildings and empty lots.
Now, the Arrowhead Cafe and Beyond project is named for a long-closed bar in one of the buildings that has been rehabbed. The cafe's prominent sign was easily read from Main Street.
New businesses are already moving in, according to Fernando Betancourt, Executive Director of The San Juan Center, one of the longest-running Latino service organizations in the state.
"There's a Guyanese restaurant that is coming soon," Betancourt said. "If you look here, we are closing this street, and this is going to be a pedestrian plaza, and once you have these people coming through and having activities and parties, all the actors and artists from this area are going to participate."
The San Juan Center helped lead the effort to redevelop several long-rundown buildings. It includes 45 units of housing and commercial space. Additional projects are planned for the future, as part of the larger Arrowhead Gateway plan.
Apartments are being offered for rent now by The Carabetta Companies. Rents start at $1,400 per month for a studio. Affordable housing units are available.
"This is the gateway, the connector, between the commercial business district downtown to the North End of Hartford," Betancourt said. "This is the perfect place."
