National Register of Historic Places

Goodwin Block

Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut
Listed
March 25, 1976
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
76001990

About this property

The Goodwin Hotel is a historic hotel and apartment building located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Known for its distinctive English Queen Anne terracotta facade, the building was originally developed as an apartment building by brothers James J. Goodwin and Rev. Francis Goodwin and opened in 1881. It was designed by Francis Kimball and was modeled on buildings Rev. Goodwin had seen being constructed at the time in England. Kimball, of the firm of Kimball & Wisedell, was the architect for the Day House in Hartford, which also has an English Queen Anne design. The Goodwin Building was expanded in 1891 to Ann Street and in 1900 to Pearl Street. It was a very prestigious address at the time, with even J.P. Morgan living there during his visits to the city of his birth. In 1985–1986, the building's Arts and Crafts style interior was gutted to prepare for the structure's incorporation into a new office tower, Goodwin Square, completed in 1989. The facade was preserved, incorporated into the 1980s Goodwin Square office tower built within the original building's footprint. It is the anchor structure within a National Register of Historic Places historic district that includes three adjoining buildings from the same time period. That same year, the Goodwin Hotel opened in the former apartment building. The hotel operated within the Goodwin Square complex, but closed on December 29, 2008, after losing money for several years. The building's owners hoped to lease it to another operator for as little as $1 a year to keep the historical inn open, but no deal could be reached. The doors initially had to be chained shut, as they had never needed to be locked for the previous 19 years. After foreclosure in 2013, the Goodwin Square complex entered a period of limbo before being bought by a Wilton real estate firm in May 2015. Westport Capital Partners, which together with two co-investors bought the hotel and adjoining skyscraper in an online auction for $17.6 million. The hotel portion of the complex was sold to a hospitality group based in Stamford, Greenwich Hospitality, which owns and operates numerous hotels in the region, under the brands Hotel Zero Degrees and Delamar Hotels. After a complete renovation, the hotel reopened in June 2017. The flagship restaurant has been renamed Harlan Braserrie and opened at the same time.

Location

219-257 Asylum St., 5-17 Hayes St., 210-228 Pearl St.
Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut
41.76683, -72.67723

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Goodwin Block

This page lists Goodwin Block. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Goodwin Block report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Southern New England Telephone Company Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Ann Street Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Stackpole, Moore, and Tryon Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Webster Memorial Building
Civil War
0.1 mi
Bushnell Park
Colonial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Goodwin Block listed on the National Register?

Goodwin Block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Goodwin Block?

Goodwin Block is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Goodwin Block?

The period of significance for Goodwin Block is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Goodwin Block?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Goodwin Block will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Hartford County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Hartford County.

Explore HartfordCounty ›

More historic places in Connecticut

Browse all historic places in Connecticut.

View Connecticuthistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Connecticut history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Connecticuthistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Goodwin Block will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report