A Phantom Parade: Hartford's Forgotten Department Stores

In its prime, downtown Hartford boasted three towering department stores: G. Fox, a 1918 marvel courtesy of Cass Gilbert, Brown Thomson, a 1877 arrival with H.H Richardson's influence (previously Cheney), and Sage-Allen, birthed in 1898 by I.A Allen Jr. Each specter guards a story, forming the Department Store Historic District, enlisted on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Now, the phantoms persist.

Today, the refurbished Sage-Allen is a commercial hub, housing apartments, retail, and an Art Deco canopy. G. Fox follows suit with apartments and retail, retaining its Art Deco facade. Look closely, and you might chance upon remnants of its bygone days hidden within Brown Thomson's walls. The Sage-Allen sidewalk clock, erected in 1899, weathered every tempest, even the 1992 windstorm. After a delicate makeover by a clock specialist in 2007, it stands sentinel once more by Talcott Street. Or does it?

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons