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Konover Takes Ownership Of Three Downtown Sites

Hartford

Gosselin, Kenneth R.

August 30, 2013

Three properties in the heart of downtown Hartford, part of ill-fated redevelopment plans in the past two decades, will now be solely owned by The Simon Konover Co.

Konover, based in West Hartford, said it has acquired the interests of developer Philip Schonberger and his partners in the properties, between Asylum and Pratt streets.

Two are parking lots and the third is the former Society for Savings headquarters, now leased by The Society Room banquet facility.

"This undertaking represents our confidence in and continued commitment to downtown Hartford," said James Wakim, Konover's president and chief operating officer.

"We believe the assembled properties at Pratt, Main and Asylum streets present significant opportunity and are well-positioned to prosper as Hartford continues to grow," Wakim said.

A Konover spokeswoman said Thursday there are no immediate plans for the properties.

Schonberger could not reached for comment.

The properties are at 31-45 Pratt St., 875-899 Main St. and 40-60 Asylum St.

The Main Street property was the site of the city's first skyscraper, demolished in the early 1990s to make way for an office tower that was never built.

A subsequent proposal a decade later by Schonberger and Simon Konover would have incorporated all three properties and others into Renaissance Place.

The $200 million development would have included a 370-room Westin hotel, 250,000 square feet of office space on 10 floors, and more than 35,000 square feet of shopping and restaurants on Asylum, Main and Pratt streets.

The complex was never built because of weak demand in the office market early in the past decade.