$100,000 RAISED TO RESTORE HARTFORD’S ICONIC “ISLE OF SAFETY”
Wednesday press event marked the dedication of historic plaque and outline of original footprint on Hartford’s State House Square – Full restoration of wood and tile structure to begin in September.
HARTFORD – Wednesday, August 28, 2019 – Hartford’s iconic “Isle of Safety,” standing alongside the Old State House and serving as a waiting station for trolley car and bus passengers from 1913 to 1976, will now be permanently commemorated on the exact site where it once stood. In a 10:30 a.m. ceremony today on Statehouse Square a plaque with historic photos and text was unveiled and the final bricks were placed memorializing the outline of the structure where generations of travelers gathered and sought shelter. It was also announced that a full restoration of the original structure, now housed at the Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor, will begin early in September with completion expected by year’s end.
Thanks to the foresight and generosity of many individual, corporate and foundation donors, we are now preserving not only a significant portion of Hartford’s history but Connecticut’s history as a regional transportation hub,” said Michael P. Speciale, Development Committee Chair of the Connecticut Trolley Museum, which has led the restoration effort and will be the Isle of Safety’s permanent home. lts location at the museum is a fitting one, Mr. Speciale said, as it sits on a right of way originally used by the Rockville Line of the Hartford & Springfield Street Railway Company.
Special recognition was paid to several of the donors who participated in the dedication ceremony by unveiling the plaque and laying the final bricks in the outline. A current donor list is attached. The fundraising campaign is still underway to raise funds for the “finishing touches” which include the vintage style lighting and the new brick pavers to be placed underneath. A complete financial breakdown for the three phases of the restoration is also attached.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers were served by the lsle of Safety for seven decades. The 106-year-old historic treasure was nearly lost in 1976 when State House Square was paved over but it was rescued by the Knox Foundation and later re-erected at the Connecticut Trolley Museum. Unfortunately, the structure had fallen into disrepair over the years. The restoration beginning next month will include repairs to the wooden structure and tile roof, new brick pavers, restored period-style lighting. Incredibly, all of the new tiles will be manufactured and duplicated by the same company that made the original ones in 1913.