A pair of state-owned historic buildings in downtown Hartford are for sale, in search of owners interested in redeveloping the properties into mixed-use residential.
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It’s official, a pair of state-owned historic buildings in downtown Hartford are for sale, in search of owners interested in redeveloping the properties into mixed-use residential.
The properties are 18-20 Trinity St., an 87,637-square-foot office building on 0.85 acres with 43 on-site parking spaces; and 30 Trinity St., a 76,665-square-foot office building on 0.8 acres with 24 on-site parking spaces.
The buildings, which were listed for sale in mid-April and have a combined assessed value of $6.1 million, according to city records, were built in the early 1900s and are in an area seen as key for the ongoing redevelopment of Bushnell Park South.
They formerly housed state agencies that have relocated mainly to the nearby State Office Building at 165 Capitol Ave., which underwent a $205 million renovation last fiscal year, making room for the offices of the Attorney General, Comptroller, Treasurer and others.
The state Department of Administrative Services, which oversees state government’s realty holdings, is handling the sale. It issued a request for proposals for the properties, which can be sold individually or together.
The deadline to submit a bid is July 9, according to the RFP.
Capital Region Development Authority Executive Director Michael Freimuth has said the properties are key pieces that could bring housing to the neighborhood around The Bushnell.
New rental units on Trinity Street would complement the mixed-use conversion of a historic office building at 55 Elm St., which has been used in recent decades by state workers.
Norwalk developer Spinnaker Real Estate Partners is leading the Elm Street conversion and is moving forward with a proposed $63.3 million, 164 unit mixed-use apartment redevelopment that will include coworking and restaurant space. Up to 70 of the living units will be constructed so they can be available for hotel rooms, if the market justifies the need.
If sold for redevelopment, the Trinity Street properties would be the largest Hartford transaction for the state since DAS unloaded 25 Sigourney St. — a 667,000-square-foot office tower with a condemned parking garage and other challenges — two years ago to a Florida-based commercial realty developer who is seeking to lease to corporate office tenants.
