Hartford-based financial services company Nassau Financial Group has debuted a new amenity for its employees and tenants at the iconic Boat Building in downtown Hartford: an outdoor pickleball court and putting green.
Hartford-based financial services company Nassau Financial Group has debuted a new amenity for its employees and tenants at the iconic Boat Building in downtown Hartford: an outdoor pickleball court and putting green.
Nassau has completed renovations to the outdoor courtyard, which was originally a reflecting pool, but has been empty for years.
The courtyard has been transformed into a multipurpose space, with a putting green and pickleball court that can be covered with turf for events.
Nassau also added soft seating, fire pits, patio lights, new plants and more dining tables and chairs to both the courtyard and plaza-level patios.
Nassau is planning an inaugural pickleball tournament for employees at the end of July. Otherwise, the pickleball court is open to employees and tenants for informal games.
Nassau’s employees have been working on a hybrid schedule for several years, a spokesperson said.
Over the past decade, Nassau has been upgrading its headquarters at One American Row. New features include a fitness center and a redesigned cafeteria.
The 13-story building is fully occupied and leased except for some ground-level space that is being marketed to potential tenants.
The Modernist-style, boat-shaped building, which points toward the Connecticut River to the east, was considered the world’s first two-sided office building when it opened in 1963, according to Nassau. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Nassau occupies much of the building, but also leases space to tenants, including life insurance company Talcott Financial Group, which moved its headquarters there in 2023.
Nassau, which is majority owned by San Francisco-based private equity firm Golden Gate Capital, had $24.8 billion in assets under management, $1.6 billion in total adjusted capital, and about 365,000 policies and contracts as of March 31.
Golden Gate Capital formed Nassau Financial Group in 2015 to acquire The Phoenix Cos., which had been based in the Boat Building since 1992.
