Bruner/Cott Architects has reimagined the Swift Gold Leaf Factory in Northeast Hartford into a 75,650-sf venue for generating opportunities for job creation and training, educating youth, improving resident health, and spurring economic growth.
Bruner/Cott, in partnership with Community Solutions, renovated and rehabilitated the former factory’s historical buildings and two homes, dating from 1887 to 1948. Architecturally, the project focused on repairing the neglected factory complex to its original character. Existing structures were gutted to make room for incubator kitchen space for fledgling local businesses, a community-based private school, and shared office space for local entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Opaque fiberglass windows, originally installed to block views of the gold leafing operation and to resist shattering, were replaced with black-framed glass windows. The factory’s brick facade was repaired and cleaned while new steel awnings clearly mark the entrances. Inside, new programs are identified with fresh signage among the building’s old columns and wood floors.
The new use of the historic Swift Factory considers the economic, health, social, cultural, and environmental conditions of North Hartford to create a sustainable, yet innovative model for improving the quality of life for the neighborhood’s residents.
Related Stories
| Feb 22, 2013
Westlake Reed Leskosky will renovate training center for Cleveland Browns
Local firm Westlake Reed Leskosky has been chosen to design renovations to the Cleveland Browns' Training and Administrative Complex in Berea, Ohio.
| Feb 20, 2013
Group of West Coast civil engineers developing building standards for tsunamis
A group of civil engineers from around the western U.S. is developing additions to the building code to address the threat of a tsunami.
| Feb 15, 2013
UC-Berkeley begins construction of art museum, film archive
The University of California-Berkeley has begun work on a $100 million project to turn a 1939 printing plant into the new Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.
| Feb 6, 2013
George W. Bush Presidential Center among award-winning roofing projects honored by Sika Sarnafil
Winners of the 2012 Contractor Project of the Year Competition were announced this week by Sika Sarnafil. The annual competition highlights excellence in roofing installation. Roofing contractors are judged based on project complexity, design uniqueness, craftsmanship, and creative problem solving.