Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • March 5, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 11 "We moved our office from our pre- vious location in Glastonbury to make it easier to recruit new employees,'' Every said. "Being closer to Hartford and on a bus route has helped attract new employees. In fact, the bus stop is directly outside our front door." The Capital Region Develop- ment Authority (CRDA) has so far only invested in CG's renova- tion of the North Armory into 48 apartments, said CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth. Colt Gate- way's presence and its housing, Freimuth says, complement CRDA's efforts to transform vacant or underused downtown office buildings into housing and retail. "The area is a prime example of urban renaissance, slowly and me- thodically re-positioning itself as the economy and lifestyles change,'' Fre- imuth said, adding that the designa- tion and conversion of Coltsville into a national park and the planned renewal of Colt Park and Dillon Stadium will further strengthen the area. The State Bond Commission on Feb. 16 approved $10 million to CRDA for improvements to Dillon Stadium and nearby Colt Park. Freimuth and Dooley say the success of Dunkin' Donuts Park also bodes well for Colt Gate- way's future. Its tenants also may eventually benefit from the planned connection of Colt Gateway and Coltsville to Charter Oak Landing, fronting the Connecticut River. Interstate 91 bisects Colt Gateway-Coltsville and the river. Cradle of industry, innovation Two adjacent buildings are slated to be turned over to the U.S. Park Service, which will convert them into an interactive Colt gallery and visitor center, as part of the area's conversion into Coltsville National Park. Park Ser- vice guides eventually will lead tours of some of the old armories spaces, retracing their rich contributions to America's manufacturing lore. Although Congress approved the national park designation in 2014, it took time for the Park Service to ink a pact with the city for Colt Park main- tenance. In addition, the service and CG Management took time to craft an agreement in which CG ceded to the service two brownstone buildings to house the gallery-visitor center. Any hard feelings over the delays isn't evident with Dooley, who sounds eager to have the Park Service as neighbors. "When we get the Park Service here, those buildings will be hopping,'' Dooley said. An early advocate of Colt's national- park status was Connecticut Con- gressman John Larson (D-1st Dis- trict), who with the rest of the state's Congressional delegation pressed fervently for the designation. "The redevelopment of the Colt armories, led by Colt Gateway, and the historic brownstones, ... will allow us to preserve history, while making use of historic landscapes,'' Larson said via email. " … Based on the interaction I've had with the community and the calls my office has received, people are eager to visit Coltsville and the surrounding destinations.'' Author-historian Luke G. Boyd, who has studied Sam Colt and his gunsmith- ing innovations and mass-production techniques, said the contributions of both to America's ascendance during the Industrial Age cannot be overlooked. "The Connecticut River Valley has been a parallel to Silicon Valley as a cradle of industry and innovation,'' said Boyd, assistant manager of interpretive programs at The National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. "The industrial technology in the Connecticut River Valley was really set- ting the standard for the age.'' Of Sam Colt, Boyd said the 19th- century entrepreneur saw bearing arms as a right, but he was first and foremost a businessman. "I think he would be very intrigued,'' Boyd said, "by the politicization of the gun in general.'' Along with preserving a rich bit of Connecticut and U.S. manufacturing history, Dooley said restoring the Colt complex reflects today's sensibilities toward the environment. Colt Gate- way's makeover is an example of recy- cling buildings with an eye for preser- vation and more energy efficiency. "You're bringing a lot of life and activity to this area,'' he said. "I believe our tenants are going to absolutely love it.'' Colt Gateway's space allocation (in square feet) Apartments: 134,903 Office: 138,997 School: 205,684 National Park Service: 16,962 Boiler House: 5,894 Vacant: 96,179 Total: 598,619 Source: CG Management Developer Larry Dooley (left) in North Armory. (Clockwise from top left) East Armory; the South Armory has apartments and a tap room; map of the Coltsville Historic District, with Colt Gateway outlined in red; Sam Colt's portrait and a residents' game room, in the South Armory; and JCJ Architecture's South Armory office. MAP | CONTRIBUTED

• Cover