Dan Antion

Random Hartford Doors

Welcome to Thursday Doors! This is a weekly challenge for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post each (or any) week and then share a link to your post in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). If you like, you can add our badge to your post.

In the course of chasing down doors of buildings that I had found listed in the Registry of Historic Places, I stumbled upon buildings that have, or perhaps used to have some very nice doors. I don’t know much about the doors in today’s gallery, but I do know something about two. One fits the “Hartford’s South End” theme I’ve been working.

The first building is the Central Baptist Church of Hartford. Geographically, it barely counts as being in the South End – it sits in the first block in what most people consider the southern portion of the city. Although this church celebrated its bicentennial in 1990, ike most churches in New England, the dates need to be examined. This church traces its beginnings to 1638 and a church established in Rhode Island by Roger Williams. The first Baptist church established in Hartford was built in 1790. Other buildings followed in 1835 as the church grew. The building in my gallery was built in 1909 and is still going strong today.

The other building that I really like is an office building in East Hartford., Built in 1892 as an apartment building with four tenements. In the 1930s the apartment building was known as “The Clifford,” and if you look closely, you can see that name carved into the stone at the top above the entrance.

I am happy to say that I’ve received a few “inspirational doors” for the Second Annual Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. I’ve actually received one writing entry, but I won’t be sharing that until the challenge begins on May 1st. Anyway, the page is setup, and you can visit to view the early doors and perhaps be inspired. The full rules of the writing challenge will be posted on that page as well – don’t worry, there aren’t many rules and there won’t be a test. Remember: I am collecting doors through Saturday April 30.

I hope you enjoy the doors in the gallery, and I hope you have a chance to visit the collections from the other participants. If you miss any today, remember, I’ll feature them again in the Sunday Recap.

The Clifford – Once an apartment building, it now houses several small business offices.
The Clifford
Central Baptist Church from the back (west) side and parking lot.
Central Baptist Church
Central Baptist Church. View from Main Street.
That apartment building sits behind The Linden and across from the Central Baptist Church.
I love this style of apartment building. This variation has larger rounded bays than others I’ve featured.
So many features in this house to like.
Ins and outs, bays and a nice little porch.
Apartment building on Buckingham St.
Apartment building on Buckingham St.
I like this little apartment building. Not many of its neighbors have survived.
This retail building with apartments above is across the street from my barber. I like the corner door and the cantilevered balconies.
Cantilevered balconies and the back of that building.
More of the row style apartment buildings.
Today is MLB Opening Day. Hartford has the AA club The Yardgoats, This is where they play Dunkin’ Donuts PArk

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135 comments

    • Cast iron was introduced more as decoration, perhaps when they didn’t wan the expense of using stone. The Connecticut River valley is rich in sandstone and brownstone, but the quarried stone was in strong demand from builders in New York City and as far away as San Francisco. Many of those west coast brownstones were built with stone quarried about 15 miles (24 km) south of Hartford.

      I loved your post today. Thank you so much for providing the details and history.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    • I think when the building was first constructed, porches like that would have filled in the space between all the bays. there are buildings still standing where there are more than one set of porches. A single set does look a little out of place, but I’m sure the residents like having the space.

      You brought us a most interesting door, today. Thanks.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  13. My favorite this week is that first one. Never would have thought that on a church. Great colors.
    A good Thursday to you Dan.

    Pat

    Oh, and I think I have an inspiration house/door for you this week🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. I LOVE the Clifford building. The original four apartments must have been very spacious. Everything about this building is beautiful. I never would have guessed the Central Baptist Church building was a church! It looks like an office building. The apartment building with the bays is outstanding. Once again, the craftsmanship is outstanding on these buildings. They are an incredible testimony to the ingenuity and foresight of the men who created these beauties, from the drawing board to the last brick put in place.
    Ginger

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I was as surprised as you, Ginger. The Baptist Church is across Main Street from the Hartford Library and other city offices. I always assumed it was owned by the city. I would love to live, or even work in The Clifford. I love that building, and I had to include it, even though it isn’t in Hartford. The craftsmanship on display in Hartford’s South End has always amazed me. I can see why these buildings have stood for well over 100 years.

      Like

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  16. I can’t help thinking about the apartment/condo buildings going up all around here; they look like stacked orange crates compared to these. I know the upkeep on old buildings is costly, but they really fill the eye! Your comment about the Baptist church is a reminder of how buildings start before that first shovel of dirt is turned. The history of a building can pre-date the bricks. Now as for the Yardgoats, I can only say Best Name Ever!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • It’s sad, but the buildings we’re seeing go up today pale by comparison to these. That’s why I love it when they turn some of the old mills and warehouses into apartments and lofts. A lot of churches around here have plaques dating back to the early 1600s. At least one started in a private residence in England and was built (several times) after the people made it here after first arriving in Boston. The building isn’t the Church.

      I do like the Yardgoats. We will see them play a couple times this year.

      Liked by 2 people

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    • There were as many as 11 brick manufacturers about 10-15 miles up river from Hartford as early as 1830. About the same distance down stream, the quarried Portland Brownstone which you will find in buildings here, in New York and even in San Francisco.

      I am impressed with what masons were able to do with those bricks. True craftsmen. Thanks for visiting, Frank.

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  25. The Clifford building made me think of Clifford the Big Red Dog–it is big and red! The older buildings that were/are apartments–they are all so pretty. That white house looks like it rambles on forever! I’d love to see the inside of that. Heck, I’d love to see the inside of so many of these buildings you post. Next post: Inside Thursday’s Doors! 😆

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I would love to go back through every week and step inside the doors, Lois. I’ve only been in a very small percentage, and I’ve always been grateful for the chance. I did think of Clifford the Big Red Dog when I zoomed in on that name ;-) Great minds.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • I don’t know if those windows are part of apartments or not. The building is a bit of a mystery, Dunkin’ has a ballpark, and the have a food booth inside where you can get some delicious and some curious donut combinations. New items this year include:

      A Spicy Chicken sandwich, which is a honey siracha-glazed fried chicken between two honey glazed doughnuts, with a doughtnut hole on top.

      For dessert, a new item is the deep fried, double dipped doughnut holes with whipped cream and sprinkles.

      Liked by 1 person

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  28. Such pride was taken in the past. People could look back at the buildings they had helped to build and say “I did that”. Nowadays it’s simply one more box to check and done. No pride. I would love to see the interiors of those buildings that are so exquisite on the outside. I could live in any of them…

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I would have expected one of the insurance companies to buy the naming rights, but Dunkin’ wanted them. It’s a fun little ballpark, and you can get a donut :)

      I liked your doors today.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  33. Today I love the most the Clifford and the apartment building on the Buckingham St. Nice to see so many doors for the writing challenge already. I’ll send you mine too. I asked another blogger Nina to send you hers but my comments cannot seem to reach her…

    Here is my second part of the Villa di Radi doors. This property is quite eye-catching, as you can see. And there is a door left open for birds too. https://manjameximexcessive6.wordpress.com/2022/04/07/day-seven-thursday-doors-7-4-22-villa-di-radi-2/#Tuscany#Radi#Siena#villa#poem

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Those two buildings are nice representatives of the style of apartments that were going up in the south end during the late 1800s.

      Thanks for sharing your doors with us.

      Like

      Reply

    • I would love to know what the interior of those apartments looks like. I like that the bays are built into the building and are available on all levels and across the entire building.

      I enjoyed touring the military base through your photos.

      Like

      Reply

  39. The Clifford is lovely. I really like the green tiles and the bay windows, and speaking of bays those center windows/balconies on that building with the four rounded bays are really unique.

    The Baptist church is majestic isn’t it. It’s lovely. All in all a very lovely set of doors today, Dan! It’s hard to choose a favorite.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • It is hard, Deborah. I favor the Clifford, but I love the bays on those apartments. The Baptist Church is across Main Street from the Hartford Library and other city offices. I always assumed it was owned by the city. I only discovered that it was a church when I took these pictures.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • I’m glad you like this, Janis. The stadium is built near where the Hartford rail yards were. A Yardgoat is a small locomotive that would have been used to move cars around the yards and assemble trains for the larger locomotives to pull.

      Liked by 1 person

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  48. Loved all of them, but I kid you not…the house with the front porch looks so much like the house I was a kid in…Clarinda, Iowa (southwestern Iowa SE from Omaha)…go figure!! I was 10 when we moved from there to Eastern Iowa (Cedar Rapids). Many a summer night on that front porch!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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