Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Congressman John Larson (D-1st District) visited the Swift Factory Monday to celebrate a $3.7 million grant to further the redevelopment of a once-vacant factory into a business incubator and job creator.
The grant — funded by the U.S. American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 — will help establish a workforce training center, spaces for small business and a new Hartford Public Library branch, according to a city press release. It is expected to result in $10 million in private investment, according to the city.
M. Swift & Sons Co. gold leafing factory in the center of North Hartford dates to the late 1800s and grew to employ more than 300 people on a campus with 70,000 square feet of building space, according to Community Solutions, a nonprofit running a business incubator in the space today.
The manufacturer shuttered in 2005 and the property was later turned over to Community Solutions for a revitalization effort. The Swift factory began undergoing renovations in 2018 and reopened in 2020. Today, it offers incubator kitchens for start-up and expanding food businesses, as well as affordable office spaces for small businesses and community organizations.
Bronin credited the “tireless work” of Community Solutions, the North Hartford NRZ, community members and the federal delegation, among others, with restoring the Swift property as an economic engine in North Hartford.
“The Swift Factory is now home to a number of rapidly-growing businesses and will soon be home to the new Hartford Public Library Branch,” Bronin said. “This new EDA grant will allow us to build on that momentum and double-down on the efforts to support local entrepreneurs and job-seekers in North Hartford.”
Community Solutions was able to transform the factory using $33.9 million in state and federal grants, financing, tax credits and donations, according to its website.
According to the Community Solutions website, more work is planned, including:
· A state-of-the-art Hartford Public Library Branch offering education and workforce development services
· A community financial center
· An elementary school
· Health and counseling services
