Trinity College plans to hang its first shingle in downtown Hartford after the private, liberal arts school won the rights Wednesday to purchase the former Travelers Education Center, at 200 Constitution Plaza.
The empty, 130,000 square-foot building was recently put on the auction block; Trinity’s $2.1 million bid won the rights to purchase the property. Trinity now has 30 days to close the deal.
In a statement to students and faculty, Trinity President Joanne Berger-Sweeney said the purchase aligns with Trinity’s long-term strategic goal of “urban engagement and collaborative partnerships in Hartford.”
“Having a downtown footprint will allow us to connect our students with the heart of the city and its endless possibilities for internships, educational partnerships and interactive learning,” Berger-Sweeney wrote. “It opens the door to new relationships for our whole community, including faculty, staff and local alumni.”
The property has been on and off the sales block the past several years.
Most recently, five-story 200 Constitution was talked about as a possible home for UConn’s relocated West Hartford campus. The state’s flagship university ultimately looked five blocks south, and chose to upgrade and expand the former Hartford Times Building on Prospect Street into classrooms, study labs, school offices and shared-community meeting space.
The Hartford office of commercial broker/financial adviser CBRE/New England co-partnered with Auction.com to list and sell the building; 200 Constitution was the last building in the plaza, originally built by Travelers as its corporate training and education center. It has multiple classrooms and meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art teleconferencing center, lounge areas, a library, breakout and lecture rooms, a multi-use luncheon/ meeting room and a 200-seat capacity amphitheater, the flyer said.
The upper two floors are office space, with an open design suitable for multiple workspace variations.
The building also has rights to 130 on-site parking spaces in the Constitution Plaza garage, the flyer said.
