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Vernon Street
Vernon Street (formerly Zachary Lane) runs east-west through Trinity's north campus. Originally, it connected Summit to Broad Street. The road is home to fraternity and sorority houses, dormitories, the President's House, the Smith House, the Cornelia Center, and various campus organizations' houses, including the Hillel House and Umoja House.
In 1994, Vernon Street was closed to public traffic at Broad street with approval from the Hartford City Council due to concerns that high crime rates and gang violence were hurting Trinity enrollment, and that cars speeding through Vernon Street as a shortcut to Broad Street endangered students and other pedestrians. Closing Vernon Street redirected heavy traffic to Allen Place, one block away, which concerned neighboring residents.
The move was also seen by some as isolationist, alienating the surrounding community. “The decision to close Vernon Street at Broad Street may increase security but it goes too far, indicating that Trinity is increasingly wary of its location in Hartford,” wrote Clay Siegert '96, a perception that he believed was “dangerous.”
In 1997, part of the Trinity College Master Plan called for the reopening of Vernon Street, making it one of the College's main entrances, in conjunction with the Learning Corridor which was being constructed across the street. The Vernon Street Entrance was to be completed within five years, along with several other entrances constructed at various points on campus.
Edie Lacey, chairwoman of the Frog Hollow Revitalization Zone, said “Keeping up gates and closing streets would just mean Trinity is interested in isolating itself. Taking it down is going to be one of the most important statements they ever make to the neighbors.”
However, Vernon Street was never reopened. Today, it ends in a cul-de-sac with a wrought-iron fence preventing access.
Sources
In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower (2021) by Davarian L. Baldwin.
Trinity College in the Twentieth Century (2000) by Peter and Anne Knapp, p. 499.
The Hartford Courant, 4/25/1995.
The Hartford Courant, 8/18/1994.
The Hartford Courant, 8/10/1994.