America's Fallen Cities: Hartford

Going to be focusing on other topics for the next few weeks now that we have a much larger community here and there's so much to talk about.

But don't worry, this series will come back.

#architecture #urban #urbanism #cities #transit #hartford

[BrewsBrothersCT]

I live in the Hartford area. I grew up here and work in downtown Hartford. I try to explain to people that this city used to be a jewel, but few comprehend. This video presents that story better than I could ever explain. Thank you. I am going to share this publicly and with friends and family

[aidanprather]

the other ones are depressing, this one is downright horrific. The loss of places, homes, neighborhoods, architecture, etc is just makes you kind of sick to your stomach. people lived there

[daveweiss]

What was done to America from the late 1950s through 1980s was a crime against humanity... the loss of architecture amd destruction of our cities and communities was absolutely criminal.

[michaelalberts]

A native of Hartford, I remember trips to the city in the early 1960s before all of the damage was done. Suburbs of West Hartford, East Hartford, Farmington, Avon, Canton, and Simsbury, and Bloomfield have sprung from the still-decaying city. Recent efforts to encourage the conversion of vacant office buildings into residential units offers hope that the downtown will be transformed.

[GrahamJonesJr]

Almost in tears. Every once in a while I catch a whisper of old Hartford when I’m there. But this video encapsulates it well. Thank you.

[kamalindsey]

The sad thing for Americans to realize is how walkable their cities used to be 😨 The United States used to be a _world leader_ in public transport...

[benduncan]

No, don’t finish this series please 😭. We need to see so many more - Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Syracuse, Atlanta. Heck, once upon a time even LA was great and had the largest light rail network.

[mariusfacktor]

Oh my god. It's no wonder Americans feel less proud of their country than they used to. We had something to be proud of back then. The only part of Hartford worth caring about is reduced to a single street.

[carlamarmo]

Fifty years ago a nice American boy visited me while touring Europe. Really he was kind and generous. His hometown was Hartford.

[alzaidi]

I live in the suburbs. I started working in Hartford in the late 70's. I always wondered what it looked like before most of it was bulldozed. The amount of office space has at least tripled since then. Most suburbanites won't go to Hartford at night anymore because of the gang/drug violence. My favorite spot was an original 1700's graveyard next to the Gold Building that couldn't be removed. It's inscription seems apt: "Death is a debt to Nature due, which I have paid, and so must you."

[mas]

Destroyed history for literally ROADS and PARKING.

[jimmyconnor]

Man… watching any video or doing any research of American cities pre “Urban Renewal” era is just amazing. It’s almost unbelievable how much history, architecture, cityscape, culture, ways of life were destroyed.

[gabetalks]

One thing that I've noticed about our culture is that it wasn't until recently that the general public has started to even acknowledge the past. I remember growing up as a kid that our culture looked upon the older generations as fools with outdated technology and outdated beliefs. Replacing the old with the new was seen as progress, but we were too arrogant to realize that our ancestors had wisdom that was worth learning from. If we've been building beauty and walkability since ancient times, is there not a reason for it? I remember one of my school teachers talking to our class about how outdated trains are because they're slower and the routes are predetermined. I don't even remember what grade I was in, but I just looked at the photos of old trains in our history book thinking that was such an obvious conclusion, not even realizing that we once boasted the greatest railways on Earth, even by today's standards. Something that should've been passed down us with great pride was looked down upon as "outdated" and reduced to mostly forgotten history. It infuriates me when people say that America is "too big" for rail when the entire continent was already fully connected by rail over a century ago. Please continue this series. We need more Americans to know just how much was truly stolen from them.

[helpfulfox]

crazy how it puts things in perspective. we really sold our soul to the auto industry as a society. all this beautiful architecture, gone for the sake of parking garages and highways

[zn]

I live just outside of Hartford, and took the bus into the city for school. I walk past most of the photographed locations in this video on a daily basis. Hartford is a city with a population of just over 100, 000, while its metropolitan area clocks in at over a million. How many cities have a suburban population more than 10 times itself? The issue is that almost all the money that is generated in Hartford is done so through a select few insurance companies, and then taken out of the city into the suburbs (which are wealthy indeed) by the insurance workers. There is no night life in Hartford, downtown is a mixture of insurance professionals and homeless people, there is very little tourist attraction whatsoever… so many poor people suffering while wealthy professionals suck all the resources out of the city and leave… there’s nothing quite like it, I would encourage anyone to visit downtown Hartford to witness the stark contrast for themselves.

[RubmaLione]

I always knew something was wrong with this city, but this is somehow WORSE than anything I could have ever imagined. Thank you for making this.

[LMyrski]

I've always meant to visit Hartford as it is about 2 hours away. Not now! What a shame. As one old time told me, "we spent the war years flattening beautiful European cities, then we came home and did it to ourselves."

[basharghazali]

OMG, The city turned into a parking lot. 🙁🙁🙁

[artmaltman]

This is a superb video about a shocking situation that few know about. It serves as such a warning to other cities! Many cities have deteriorated due to industry leaving, but this city was actively destroyed by people without a heart. Thank you.

[lolol]

It’s insane how much space we devote to parking
It’s actually disgusting