Trinity Finishes Up Long Walk Restoration

Trinity College is set to unveil its renovated and restored Long Walk in time for the return of students and the start of the fall semester.

On Wednesday, the school will host a press conference and tour of the two-year, $33 million project that involved major changes to the exterior and 81,389-square-foot interior, all managed by Consigli Construction.

The exterior changes included the installation of concrete pavers along the entire 925-foot Long Walk, the reinstallation of 900 cast iron and 300 stain glass windows and a cleaning of each building along the Long Walk.

The interior work involved reconfiguring the student dormitory space into its original suite layout. New faculty offices and “smart” classrooms with audio/visual technology were added and security systems, such as fire alarms, were upgraded.

School officials said the project is on budget. Trinity donors contributed nearly $5 million to the project. Students are slated to move into the dorms on Thursday, while the classrooms will be open for the beginning of the fall semester a few days later.

Trinity media relations director Michele Jacklin said the restoration of the dorm rooms to their original configuration came as a result of work done by Trinity’s college archivist Peter Knapp, who found the original plans for the buildings several years ago.

History played a huge role in the project, according to Jacklin, as the buildings on the Long Walk were designed by famed English architect William Burges more than a century ago. The college took steps to ensure the authenticity of historical detail.

“In an era when Hartford has destroyed much of its historical and architectural heritage, Trinity went to the ends of the earth to ensure that the Long Walk buildings were true to their heritage,” Jacklin said.

In particular, the sandstone used came from the Cleveland Quarries in Amherst, Ohio and the terracotta pieces were flown in from the West Meon Pottery in Peteresfield, England.

Green Banking

Rockville Bank announced that it became the first bank in the state to open an environmentally friendly bank branch with the opening of its 22nd location at 780 North Main St. in Manchester.

Both the interior and the outdoor bank property, has been registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and has received LEED certification. It was the first Connecticut bank branch to be engineered and constructed entirely with “green” technology, bank officials said.

“We are pleased to lead the way in construction of green banks and hope that our innovative new branch will be a model for other banks in the state,” Rockville Bank President and CEO William McGurk said in a statement.

Sean O’Leary is a Hartford Business Journal staff writer.