iQuilt Innovation Center Opens in Downtown Hartford

The iQuilt Plan took a different step towards realization today, with the opening of the iQuilt Innovation Center in the heart of downtown Hartford. While the iQuilt Partnership has been making small and large physical improvements downtown for more than five years, it has not had a physical presence on the street. Now, people strolling through Statehouse Square can spot the iQuilt storefront located on Central Row in the Travelers complex (with the space generously donated by Travelers). They can drop into the center and find out about the iQuilt vision, the progress, and the events related to iQuilt. Visitors will find large graphic banners and maps explaining the plan; video monitors with information; and as its centerpiece, a large Lego model of downtown Hartford, contributed by Lego USA and created by a small army of volunteers. “It will be the first location in the city of Hartford promoting creative placemaking and urban design,” said Jackie Mandyck, the iQuilt Partnership’s managing director. The center will host meetings, forums, and discussions on the future of public space and public life in downtown Hartford. The Hartford Courant covered the opening (The iQuilt Innovation Center Opens), and created a short video: Innovation Center video