Hidden Gems Of Connecticut

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The latest Hidden Gem in Connecticut is definitely worth a peek when traveling through the Greater Hartford area. It's the circa 1913 West Hartford Armory, a structure steeped in unique history.

According to Historic Buildings of Connecticut.com, in 1911, the First Company Governor’s Horse Guards became the Troop B Cavalry regiment of the Connecticut National Guard. Soon after, Troop B undertook a project to construct an armory — complete with stables — with private funds at 836 Farmington Ave. in West Hartford.

Troop members and architects A. Raymond Ellis and Francis E. Waterman, designed the building to be very functional without extra features in order to keep costs down. The armory was build from 1912 to 1913 and then officially acquired by the state.

Troop B served along the Mexican border in 1916 and, in World War I, as a machine gun battalion.

In 1940, with the phasing out of the horse soldier, the unit became part of the 208th Coastal Artillery Regiment and the Armory was revamped to store large vehicles.

After World War II, the First Company Governor’s Horse Guards was reorganized as a state militia unit and today has a facility in Avon.

The Army continued to house various units in the West Hartford Armory until the early 1980s, when the building was decommissioned and sold by the state.

It was then turned into professional office suites.

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Connecticut. Other columns in this series for 2021 include:

• The Capitol's Nooks and Crannies
• Wickham Park Aviary
• 55 West Main, New Britain
• Fox Hopyard Golf Course
• The Dodd Center For Human Rights at UConn
• Manchester Ropes Challenge Course
• 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm
• Fuego Picante Food Truck
• The Amistad
• 9/11 memorials
• Club Champion Golf Fitters
• New England Civil War Museum and Research Center
• Avery's Soda
• Salt 2.0 Restaurant
• The Grave of Jonathan, The Original Husky
• Golden Gavel Auction House
• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut
• The Cogswell Temperance Fountain
• The Old State House
• BouNom Bakery
• Union Pond Park/Jay Howroyd Fitness Trail
• The Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus
• The UConn Dairy Bar
• Grove Hill Cemetery, Vernon
• Backwoods Smokin' BBQ
• The Ranch House
• Connecticut State Police Museum
• Berlin Historic District
• Connecticut Parachutists Skydiving Club
• Tail Winds Ice Cream Shop
• The MLK Mural
• The Hilltop Restaurant and Bar
• Fork & Fire
• Lena's Italian Kitchen
• The Benedict Arnold Trail
• Swank Pearce
• Vernon Depot Historic Park
• Farr's Sporting Goods
• Robs Drivin Diner

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