Constitution Plaza
Coordinates: 41°45′58″N 72°40′12″W / 41.766°N 72.670°W
Constitution Plaza is a large commercial mixed-use development in downtown Hartford, Connecticut.
Constitution Plaza was built for $42 million and completed in stages from 1962 to 1964. Its planning and construction were spearheaded by a committee of local corporate leaders and business interests, beginning in the late 1950s. After running into financial turmoil in its early stages, the project was eventually completed by Hartford-based Travelers Insurance Company.
It was the first substantial urban redevelopment project in Hartford and replaced a run-down, working class, ethnic neighborhood known as Front Street. Subject to periodic flooding (before the construction of riverfront dikes and Interstate 91) and in serious physical decline, this neighborhood was nostalgically known for its large Italian-American population and its eclectic collection of local restaurants, businesses and shops. The merit of its wholesale demolition to accommodate Constitution Plaza is still locally debated nearly five decades after the decision was made. (The name "Front Street" is so well-gilded through years of lamenting its demise, it has been resurrected as the official project name for a large mixed-use development to be built adjacent to the new Connecticut Convention Center complex, although this project has experienced numerous delays and has lost a number of sponsoring developer partners over the last several years.)
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