Hartford's Isle of Safety

Hartford's Isle of Safety. . , You are now standing where once stood a structure that was an important piece of Hartford history: The Isle of Safety. An exact outline of this iconic structure has been created on the paved walkway behind you., When it was erected in 1913, this immediate area was still part of State Street, a major traffic artery into the City. The Isle of Safety was located in the center of the street and provided a safe waiting space for trolley car and later, bus passengers., The structure itself was 55 feet long and was built on a paved platform 15 feet wide by 100 feet long. For the next 63 years it provided safe shelter for what must have been hundreds of thousands of trolley and bus riders and with its distinctive Spanish style terra cotta tile roof it became one of Hartford's most notable landmarks., However, in 1976 the traffic patterns around the Old State House were reconfigured and that part of State Street was paved over creating State House Square. To save it from destruction, as it was no longer needed, the Isle of Safety was relocated to the western corner of Trumbull and Asylum Streets., In 1985 the construction of City Place II again forced it to be moved or destroyed. Thanks to the advocacy of many people, a mover was hired to transport it to the Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor where it was re-erected in 1988., It once again provides a safe waiting space for trolley car passengers just as it did in 1913, but these passengers are museum visitors who are waiting to take their ride on one of the many vintage trolleys that the Museum operates.