The Connecticut State Bond Commission has approved a $450,000 renovation grant for the historic Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford.
The funding will go toward the first phase of the three-phase renovation project, which will increase the center’s infrastructure and improve access for the disabled. The nonprofit center is an art exhibition and performing space and was originally the state’s first synagogue, built in 1876.
Charter Oak will continue to raise money to pay for the first phase and hopes to start renovation in the spring, which will focus on mechanical upgrades and full handicap accessibility.
New Jersey firm Smith Maran Architects led the design plan for the renovation.
