I’ve done quite a few of these driving tour videos over the past few years. With Hartford, Connecticut, more than most other videos, I found myself really going back over the footage to see the historic sites that I missed while doing the actual driving. This is one of the most historic cities in the United States and it really has a beauty to it.
Downtown Hartford, Connecticut Driving Tour Video
The driving tour video below does a pretty good job of covering all of downtown Hartford. If you like what you see, please give it a ‘Thumb’s Up’ in YouTube. We would be grateful if you’d subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
Video edited with Corel VideoStudio Ultimate 2018.
Hartford, CT Downtown Landmarks
Pretty historic? Yes. To put Hartford, Connecticut into perspective, it was settled over 100 years before Toronto, Ontario was. This city dates back to the early 1600’s.
There is a definite mix between new and old here. But, the history does stand out. We’re going to look at nine landmarks that can be seen during the driving video above. However, this is just a sampling. There is so much more to offer here and definitely worth a visit.
Connecticut’s Old State House
After the sweeping opening views of the Hartford skyline across the Connecticut River, we see the Old State House on the right at around 1:38 of the video. This beauty is surrounded by the skyscrapers of downtown, both old and new.
The Old State House opened in 1796. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, six years after being named a National Historic Landmark.
Bushnell Park
Visitors, like me, would shrug this park off as just another green space. That is, if not for the magnificent Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch. This park and the arch are seen starting at around 8:32 of the video.
Bushnell Park is the oldest publicly funded park in the United States. The 50 acre space opened in 1868. In 1970, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
XL Center
Maybe not historic for some, but for Canadians like me, this place has some meaning. Why? It was built for hockey. The XL Center opened as the Hartford Civic Center in 1975. The arena was built to house the New England Whalers of the now defunct World Hockey Association.
Unfortunately, a roof collapse caused the building to close from 1978 to 1980. This forced the Whalers to play home games in Springfield, MA, New Haven, CT and Boston. For the 1979-80 season, the Whalers joined the NHL and the name changed to the Hartford Whalers.
Of course, that team left to become the Carolina Hurricanes. But, hockey remains. The XL Center is home to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. That team is the top affiliate for the NHL’s New York Rangers.
This venue seats 14,750 for hockey. It is first seen at 11:28 on the right. We end up doing a full circle of the building to finish up the video.
City Place I
Certainly not the oldest building on the skyline but City Place I is the tallest. In fact, the skyscraper is the tallest in all of Connecticut. This is seen straight ahead at 2:00 of the video and can be seen from different angles through much of the video.
City Place I opened in 1984. The building is 535 feet or 163 metres in height. There are a total of 38 floors.
Travelers Tower
Also prominent on the skyline, we get our first good, up close look at the Travelers Tower at 1:34 of the video, on the left. The second tallest building in Hartford, the Travelers Tower is 527 feet or 161 metres in height with 24 floors. However, it was opened 65 years before the tallest building. That’s right, this skyscraper dates back to 1919 when it would have been among the tallest in the world.
Connecticut State Capitol Building
First seen on the left at 7:38 of the video, the Capitol is unmistakable with its gold (bronze?) dome. This building opened in 1878 and is still active today. At its highest, this structure stands an impressive 287 feet or 87 metres in height. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
The Stark Building
No, not the head office of Stark Enterprises, this building started out as the Hartford Trust Company Building when opened in 1920. You’ll find this at 1:39 of the video on the right. There are 18 floors in the ‘skyscraper’ and it’s yet another building in Hartford on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cheney Building
Looking similar to, and adjacent to, the Stark Building, the Cheney Building is seen on the left at around 1:34. This building opened in 1876 and was added to the NRHP in 1970. This once housed the Brown Thomson’s Department Store.
Union Station
The history of a city is not complete without its train station. Union Station is first seen at 3:00 on the right. However, at and after 10:02, we get a more in depth view.
Union Station first opened in 1889. It was rebuilt in 1914 and being destroyed by fire. This building was added to the NRHP in 1975. The station is active and services Amtrak and CT rail.
About Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford was settled in 1635 and was incorporated as a city in 1784. The state capital of Connecticut, the city has a population of 122,000. The metro population is 1.2 million. The city is located 101 miles southwest of Boston, Massachusetts and 116 miles northeast of New York City.
