Hartford's primary business district, Downtown has several monuments, landmarks and is home to several historic sites and cultural attractions.

In 1749, a square – marked with monuments set at each corner – contained the Meeting House, House of Correction, stocks and a pillory for punishing criminals. The square was where all town festivities and ceremonies took place. The north and south lines were about where Kinsley and Grove Streets are now located.

Main Street – the primary north/south thoroughfare – was once known as King's Highway. It was road that Generals Washington and Knox, Alexander Hamilton and Lafayette used during the Revolutionary War to greet Rochambeau and his French officers on what is now Central Row.

Hartford's City Hall is located on Main Street. The current structure is the third location of the seat of government for Hartford. When the original wooden state house fell into disrepair, funding for its replacement came from – among other sources – a lottery in which citizens would purchase tickets at $5 each. It took two years for the lottery to raise enough funds for the reconstruction. It was common opinion at the time that there was a distinct lack of "the spirit of enterprise in lottery speculations."

Nevertheless, the new building (now called the Old State House) was completed and its design is credited to Charles Bulfinch. Now an historic museum, it is open to the public. Among other things, it contains the Museum of Natural and Other Curiosities as well as an interactive historical exhibit. The Old State House is open to the public year-round. (more)

Other sites of historical significance in downtown include the Hartford Public Library, founded in 1774 as The Librarian Company; the Wadsworth Atheneum, America's oldest public art museum; Hartford's best-known landmark, The Travelers Tower, as well as the Isham-Terry House and the Butler-McCook house, both operated by Connecticut Landmarks (formerly, the Antiquarian & Landmarks Society).

Bushnell Park, prominently positioned in the city center, provides not only respite from concrete and steel, but is a venue for festivals, music and events. Created in the early days of the American Park Movement, the park might have been designed by noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted was it not for the fact that Central Park in New York City was already under development. Instead, Jacob Weidenmann, a Swiss born landscape designer, designed Bushnell Park.

Riverfront Plaza provides a terrific view of the Connecticut River and is the site of river-related events, performances and festivals.

Cultural institutions in the city include the Hartford Stage Company, Bushnell Memorial and Center for the Performing Arts, Hartford Symphony, and Theatreworks.

The seat of state government is located at the State Capitol Building, with adjoining Legislative Office Building. The Connecticut State Library is also located in the downtown district, and contains historical records, reference materials and collections relative to the state's history, including the Colt Firearms Collection.

The southern area of Downtown is known as SoDo. It has its own unique character and retains a greater number of human-scale buildings than does any other part of the city center ... (more)