Historic Hartford synagogue will become event space
Owner seeks to change centuries-old former synagogue in downtown Hartford into space for large events
Hartford lawyer Jose L. Del Castillo hopes his vision for an event space in the former synagogue on Pearl Street downtown will succeed where other plans have failed for decades, leaving the century-old building vacant and in decay.
HARTFORD — Hartford lawyer Jose L. Del Castillo hopes his vision for an event space in the former synagogue on Pearl Street in downtown Hartford will succeed where other plans have failed for more than two decades, leaving the century-old building vacant and in decay.
Del Castillo is drawing his inspiration from a Manhattan synagogue that was converted into the Angel Orensanz art, performance and event space and makes use of dramatic colored lighting to accentuate architectural details and create atmosphere.
“The hardest part was trying to explain what I wanted to do here, but when I saw that place, that’s exactly what I wanted to do,” Del Castillo said, walking through the building Thursday.
While the New York venue often hosts big-name events — the surprise wedding of actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick was held there in 1997 — Del Castillo has more modest aspirations for Pearl Street: weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduation celebrations, after-concert parties, fundraisers, bar and bat mitzvahs and union meetings.
“So, it’s something different here and now, with all that’s going on in the city, all the apartments going up downtown and with the hotel next door, they can have large events here,” Del Castillo said.
Mary A. Falvey, executive director of the Hartford Preservation Alliance, praised the use of a historic building for a modern use.
“We are looking forward to seeing the return of the most important element of any historic site — people,” Falvey said.
As Del Castillo enters the city’s event space market, he will be up against tens of thousands of square feet of space already in the city. Those venues, including hotels, will be hungry for bookings after a pandemic that took a devastating toll.
“We believe we will be competitive with other event spaces in the city because of pricing, lighting, flexible decoration, location [near Bushnell Park] and the unique concept space — especially coming out of the pandemic,” Del Castillo said. “There should be pent-up demand.”
Del Castillo, who once owned the city’s “Flat Iron” building and was chairman of the Hartford Redevelopment Agency in the mid-2000s, bought the Georgian Revival-style structure in 2019 in a foreclosure sale. He paid $196,000, and he expects to invest between $750,000 and $1 million in the property.
The limestone-and-brick edifice contains what was once the main worship space, with its soaring, 32-foot ceilings and below it, a community hall of nearly equal size with lower ceilings. Both spaces could likely accommodate up to 400 people, he said.
Del Castillo said he believes he will succeed because his initial investment — all privately financed — and overhead will be more modest than earlier ideas for restaurants, nightclubs and an urban food market. Del Castillo scrapped plans for a rooftop terrace because of the high cost of an elevator.
For events, Del Castillo said he would provide the space, lighting, tables and chairs but other decorations and details would be the responsibility of those hosting the event. A commercial kitchen on the lower level would only be used to keep catered food warm or cold until served to guests.
He estimates a base rental of $1,500 in the main worship space for 5 or 6 hours.
The building needs a new roof, an electrical overhaul, heating and cooling systems, up to 20 restrooms and paint, lots and lots of paint. Outside, a small terrace will be added, though which the disabled will access a new door on the west side of the building.
Del Castillo said he is sticking closely to his budget. When it came to removing ivy from the front of the building, he got an estimate of $200. Instead, he cut the vines off at ground level himself, waited for them to dry out and pulled them down.
Last week, Del Castillo showed visitors around though it is difficult to see at times because electricity has been cut to the property for years. He wears a headlamp but he knows the building well, his voice echoing as he navigates a rabbit warren of staircases, some barely wide enough to squeeze through.
At every turn, there is peeling and flaking paint.
It wasn’t always this way. When the Unitarian Church built the structure in 1924, it opened to much fanfare. In 1964, it was bought by Congregation Ados Israel and its members remained there until the 1980s.
The structure almost was demolished once when it was owned by SNET, but preservationists won out. The previous owners took control in 2003, but despite strong initial interest from tenants or buyers, the property languished.
In 2019, Del Castillo told The Courant he might consider selling the building should the right offer come along, but Thursday he said he was committed to the renovation.
Del Castillo doesn’t have as much to work with as New York’s Orensanz did with its Gothic-vaulted ceiling and because previous owners of 215 Pearl stripped it down. Gone are fireplace mantels, lights, moldings in some rooms and even radiators.
Still, architectural detail abounds in the what was the main worship space. Massive arched niches of plaster rise to the ceiling in the nave, capped by chevron keystones and rhythmically connected by pilasters.
Del Castillo said he hopes to hire a Trinity student to design the new lighting system to highlight such details.
He plans to start work in late summer and is aiming to be completed in time to offer to donate the space for a pasta dinner on the eve of the Hartford Marathon in October 2022.
On an upper floor, in a former library that could serve as an office or room for brides to gather with attendants prior to weddings, Del Castillo maintains the building is sound, with no major cracks or water damage.
“We went around and check and check and no, there isn’t any issue,” Del Castillo said, “except for the squirrels that live somewhere on the third floor.”