The 1914 Land Purchase That Created a Neighborhood

The Hartford Golf Club started in 1896. It quickly attracted the social and business elite of Hartford. The first course sat between Albany and Asylum Avenues. The thirteen hole layout was problematic because of the terrain.

In 1914, the club bought the southern portion of its present holdings. They hired Donald Ross to design fourteen holes there. They made an eighteen hole course using those plus four holes south of Albany Avenue. By 1945, the club bought the northernmost portion. They developed thirteen new holes based on Donald Ross designs. The land south of Albany Avenue was sold in 1955.

That 1914 purchase triggered a residential boom to its southwest. From 1915 to 1936, Tudor Revival and Colonial Revival houses appeared on large lots. It became a fashionable neighborhood in West Hartford. Roads formed large rectangles. The largest and most lavish properties sat adjacent to the golf.

Today, the district remains on the National Register of Historic Places. It still hosts high quality houses. It still holds a very old course.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons