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Trinity College to Keep Momentum Going

Andy Hart

February 18, 2010

Trinity College, one of the nation’s premier liberal arts colleges, has been a mainstay in Hartford’s South End since the school moved to its current site on Summit Street 140 years ago.

In solidifying its commitment to maintaining the beauty and functionality of its 100-acre campus, Trinity has poured millions of dollars into preserving its iconic buildings, upgrading its facilities and improving accessibility for city residents.

Since 2000, Trinity has completed four major projects, and despite the uncertain economy, is determined to continue renewing and strengthening its physical assets and infrastructure.

In the past 10 years, the College has restored the historic buildings collectively known as the Long Walk; opened Trinfo.Cafe, an Internet learning center on Broad Street; constructed the Koeppel Community Sports Center on New Britain Avenue; and renovated its main dining hall.

The restoration of the Long Walk, a three-building brownstone complex consisting of Seabury and Jarvis Halls and Northam Towers, was completed in September 2008 at a cost of $33 million. The Long Walk consists of classrooms, faculty offices and student suite-style rooms, and overlooks the main quadrangle. The project was honored for adhering to its historic and architectural integrity by The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and the Hartford Preservation Alliance.

Trinfo.Cafe, which is staffed by Trinity students and staff, provides opportunities for city residents to learn and master computer skills. The center, which opened in October 2000, has served more than 6,500 residents and averages 27,000 visits a year. It is open six days a week, 50 weeks a year.

The Koeppel Center, with its 200-foot by 90-foot ice rink surface, opened in December 2006 to great fanfare. There, thousands of Hartford children have learned to ice skate, play ice hockey, and figure skate. The sports complex also allows community groups to use its meeting rooms.

The renovations to the Mather Hall dining room, completed in September 2007, allow students to sit in booths, at counters, and in living room-like areas. Tables can also accommodate large groups. The remodeling earned an Excellence in Construction Award from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Connecticut, Inc.

Looking ahead, Trinity expects to embark on several projects that will enhance the College’s academic, social and athletic environment. Among them is the development of new student housing on Crescent Street, consisting of 275 beds in a townhouse-style setting.

Also on the drawing board is the construction of a music performance facility that will seat up to 200 people. In the area of athletics, Trinity is aiming to replace its tennis courts and build new baseball and softball facilities.

Scholarship is at the core of the College’s mission, and a new neurosciences lab is expected to be built, as well as a new academic resources center that will consolidate the school’s writing center, math center, and Center for Teaching and Learning in one location.