Hartford Fire formally purchases the Garden Street Reservoir

1. The city deposited the check right away.
2. The deeds were filed at the town’s clerk office.
3. Hartford Fire planned to fill in the reservoir, as the reservoir had already been drained, and the land would then be used as athletic fields for the employees.

According to this article, in between August 4, 1919 and today, two attempts were made to convince the water board to reconsider its action to abandon the reservoir.

1. A real estate dealer approached the water board and asked if they would accept $22,000 for the property. This offer arrived after the Hartford Fire Insurance Company had offered $20,000, and it resulted in the water board’s offer to sell the property to Hartford Fire for $22,000.
2. The fire commission then asked the water board if the Hartford Fire Department could acquire the reservoir. After a report from engineers working for Hartford Fire and an investigation by the National Board of Fire Underwriters concluded the fire commission’s plan wasn’t feasible, the water board went forward with the plan to sell the property to Hartford Fire.

There’s no source for the story about the real estate dealer, and I don’t recall that the fire board wanted to acquire the reservoir, although authority for the reservoir might have transferred to either the fire board or the fire department had that proposal been accepted.

1. Hartford Fire made its offer on August 4, 1919, and the Hartford Board of Water Commissioners made its counteroffer on September 25, 1919.
2. The Hartford Board of Fire Commissioners inserted itself into the process on September 29, 1919, and officially removed itself on October 5, 1919.

The deed will be filed at the Town Clerk's Office tomorrow.

“Receipt of the check from the Hartford Fire Insurance company yesterday marked the finish of the old Garden street reservoir, after two attempts had been made to have the water board reconsider its action.”

1. Fred Berry, Benedict Holden, and John McKone were commissioners on the Hartford Board of Water Commissioners.
2. McKone served as president of the water board.
3. Whitney Palache was vice president of Hartford Fire.
4. Lucius Robinson served as counsel at Hartford Fire.

1. Unattributed, “Fire alarm system gets official o.k.,” Hartford Courant, December 20, 1919, page 6.
2. Unattributed, “Formal transfer of Garden Street Reservoir made,” Hartford Courant, October 21, 1919, page 1.
3. Unattributed, “Make inspection of new headquarters,” Hartford Courant, August 21, 1919, page 4.