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Connecticut Science Center Still Litigating Faulty Roof

BUT IT RESOLVES COMPLAINTS AGAINST SOME CONTRACTORS

By Jeff Cohen

December 04, 2012

It's been about three years since the the Connecticut Science Center sued some of the contractors who built it, looking to recoup some of the money it lost from a faulty roof. Now, as WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports, the science center has resolved some -- but not all -- of those claims.

High atop the science center at the heart of Hartford sits what has been called its "magic carpet" roof -- and undulating canopy, parts of which had to be taken down before they fell down shortly after construction. It was a costly mistake and a costly fix that delayed the opening of the science center. And in 2009, the center sued the architect -- Pelli Clarke Pelli -- and many of its subcontractors.

That suit is still pending. But last month, the science center withdrew its action against three companies -- Whiting-Turner, its construction manager; Thornton Tomasetti, its engineers; and a third company. An attorney for the science center would not discuss the terms of the settlement, saying that they were confidential.

Pelli Clark Pelli -- the architectural firm of the renowned Cesar Pelli -- is still a defendant.