The following article came from “The Hartford Guardian”, the pictures came from Upper Albany Main Street.

HARTFORD RECEIVES GRANT FOR UPPER ALBANY

Posted on 19 June 2012 by The Hartford Guardian
HARTFORD — Hartford officials on Thursday announced another grant to help fix up abandoned properties on Homestead Avenue and “turn them into productive properties.”
State Representatives Matthew Ritter (D-Hartford, Bloomfield) and Douglas McCrory (D-Hartford), Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra, Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD) Commissioner Catherine Smith and University of Hartford President Walter Harrison highlighted a state “brownfield” grant to be used to help re-mediate three abandoned properties on Homestead Avenue.
City officials received a $500,000 Municipal Brownfield Grant  for the Upper Albany Neighborhood Revitalization Zone and targets city-owned sites at 111, 367 and 393 Homestead Ave.
“This is about building upon the great potential of the Upper Albany Neighborhood,” Ritter said.
The grant comes from the Department of Economic and Community Development, which has awarded more than $34 million in funding for brownfield projects throughout the state.
Money goes directly to municipalities, businesses, developers, and regional development agencies for a wide range of activities, such as environmental assessment, planning, design, remediation, demolition, construction, and acquisition.
Rep. McCrory  added that he was “very pleased the state” for helping with this initiative that’s been lacking for years.
Officials said that trio of Homestead Ave. sites span just over three acres and were previously home to defunct industrial manufacturing businesses. For example, 393 Homestead, the site of the news conference, housed a steel forging manufacturer, a glass container manufacturer and an auto top company beginning in the 1930s. In the 1960s it was occupied by the Hartford Empire Arts & Crafts and was a workshop for children with special needs.
Segarra said the funding marks “another significant step forward in helping to return pride to a neighborhood.”

http://www.thehartfordguardian.com/2012/06/19/hartford-receives-grant-for-upper-albany-neighborhood/