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
Giants 400 | Oct 30, 2017
Rewriting history: Legacy building conversions spur redevelopment in America’s older cities
Businesses, developers, and civic leaders are repurposing existing structures to celebrate history, attract tenants, and serve as a catalyst for future development.
Giants 400 | Oct 26, 2017
Top 115 reconstruction construction firms
Gilbane Building Co., Structure Tone, and Turner Construction Co. top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest reconstruction sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 26, 2017
Top 70 reconstruction engineering firms
WSP, Jensen Hughes, and STV top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest reconstruction sector engineering and EA firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 24, 2017
Top 160 reconstruction architecture firms
Gensler, Jacobs, and Stantec top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest reconstruction sector architecture and AE firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
University Buildings | Oct 10, 2017
A 1920s cheese factory is now a university science building
Almost 15,000 sf of space was added to the original, four-story building.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Oct 4, 2017
Restoring a Manhattan building’s century-old façade, piece by piece
The painstaking process included assuaging numerous preservation agencies.
K-12 Schools | Oct 2, 2017
A Houston office park gets a new life as a private day school
Shepley Bulfinch designed the 75,000-sf campus.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 28, 2017
Plans for Chicago’s historic Post Office building revealed by 601W Companies and Gensler
The redevelopment project is currently the largest in the nation.
Libraries | Aug 30, 2017
1850s library building is brought into the 21st century
The original building was updated and given a new extension and landscaping.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Jul 31, 2017
New Jersey office building will undergo ‘live-work-play’ renovation
The 100,000-sf building is part of a three-building, 30-acre campus.