Recapture of the
Connecticut River
1981 - 1999
Dedicated September 3, 1999
On the occasion of the opening of
Riverfront Plaza and Terraces
Founders Bridge Promenade and
State Street Landing
[ left plaque ]
A Historic ConnectionRiverfront Plaza restores Hartford's historic connection to the "Quinnehticut" - the long tidal river - where Algonkian speaking peoples thrived along its banks.
In 1614 Dutch explorers mapped the river and established a trading post in Hartford, near this site. In 1636 the Rev. Thomas Hooker and his followers established the town of Hartford, which grew into a thriving port.
This structure repairs the city's historic connection to the river - damaged in 1835 by the coming of the railroad, further separated in 1942 by the building of the flood wall, and severed in 1962 by the construction on Interstate 91.
The Founders Bridge Promenade renews the connection between East Hartford and Hartford, once a single city, and strengthens the fabric of the Capitol Region, which is divided by the river.
State Street Landing re-creates the Port of Hartford, once the commercial heart of the city.
[ right plaque ]
Because They BelievedThis significant achievement was made possible by:
The City of Hartford and the Town of East Hartford, which embraced the vision of a reclaimed Connecticut River.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, which provided funding and built these structures;
The State of Connecticut, which provided funding for Riverfront Plaza's design and for construction of Riverfront parks;
The Capitol Region Council of Governments and its 29 member towns, which allocated federal funding to it;
The Metropolitan District Commission and its eight member towns, which implemented the cleansing of the river and maintains the Riverfront parks;
The region's businesses and philanthropic communities, which initiated the recapture effort and funded its planning;
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development which provided funding for the Terraces;
The residents of this region and the thousands of individual and corporate Friends of the River, who contributed, volunteered and hoped; and
Riverfront Recapture, Inc., the instrument of all these partners whose board of directors and staff shared an unwavering belief in the vision of a revitalized Riverfront - and provided the leadership and inspiration to make it happen.
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