The pump house in Bushnell Park is a slate-roofed brownstone building originally built in 1947 from the stones of bridges that once crossed the Park River. Its design is reminiscent of an English country cottage, but its purpose was as a pumping station for flood control.

The Park River once entered Bushnell Park near the State Armory, meandering along the park's north side. However, seasonal flooding became a problem and the great flood of 1936 inundated all of Bushnell Park and much of Hartford under several feet of water. The Army Corps of Engineers was brought in to find a solution.

The plan resulted in the burial and underground routing of the main branch of the Park River into a huge concrete tunnel, through which its flow towards the Connecticut River was aided by massive pumps.

Today, the pumps continue their job of silently moving the river beneath the park, while the area of the brownstone building that was once the Pump House Gallery has become a restaurant that also utilizes the patio area outdoors for al fresco dining and seasonal music performances.

Visit the South Meadows Pumping Station.