Isn’t this building beautiful?  It was the old Hartford Public High School, whose majestic towers could be seen from just about anywhere downtown.  It was a grand old building, befitting one of the oldest public high schools in the nation.   

It was demolished decades ago to build Interstate 84.   HPHS wasn’t the only architecturally significant structure torn down for an asphalt freeway.     Dozens of homes, and public buildings, entire neighborhoods were wiped out for I-84, and I-91.  One of Katharine Hepburn’s childhood homes was bulldozed for this, in fact the late actress’ autobiography “Me,” she writes about it and a candy store she frequented as a child were wiped away in the name of “progress.”

Hartford was not alone in being decimated for interstates.   It happened all over the country.    Other cities like Milwaukee and Boston have already taken major steps towards reclaiming potentially valuable land by relocating highways.   It is time for Connecticut to do the same for your capital city.

check out Heather Hegedus’ report on this:

http://www.wfsb.com/newsarchive/15904065/detail.html

read Tom Condon’s column on this: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/columnists/hc-plccondon0413.artapr13,0,869555.column