This multipurpose complex was constructed in the late 1930s as the first phase of a federal Works Progress Administration-sponsored program to revitalize Hartford. It is one of the most stylish of Hartford’s 1930s buildings, exhibiting Art Deco motifs in the rectilinear stone capitals capping the shallow piers across the main facade and the fluted stone panels above the entrances. Constructed of tile and veneered in pressed brick, the building originally accommodated a movie theater on the first floor of the larger block, as indicated by the marquee and ticket booth paneled in black Carrera glass. Stone panels bearing the words “City Hall” and “Fire Station” indicate the original locations of Hartford’s city hall on the second level and the fire department in the one-story side wing, respectively. Today, the main block is empty and in disrepair, but the former fire station has been adapted as town offices with the installation of a metal and glass front in place of the original garage doors.
