Aetna Sigourney Street Parking Garage

Precast Simulates Original Georgian Colonial Architecture
How do you maintain the grandeur of an 80 year old corporate headquarter building when you add a huge, much needed parking structure? This was Aetna’s quandary. Their magnificent corporate headquarters in Hartford, CT is their 5th home and in 1930 when it was finished, it was considered inconvenient for employees because of its suburban location.

The flexibility of precast concrete panels enabled the architect to simulate the original Georgian colonial architecture of the main building. Two distinct historic styles of brick were chosen for the 373 precast wall panels. With a palette of colors available, the color was matched flawlessly to the older building providing a harmonious union between the new Aetna Sigourney Street Parking Garage and the historic Aetna Headquarters.

The striking parking structure is visible from the CT Route 84 and from that vantage point gives the visual impression of being a horizontal base to the much older Aetna headquarters which, rises above it. This 438,689 sq.ft. structure contains 6 levels of parking with a total of 1,426 precast concrete products. Exterior wall panels and interior precast products such as; double tees and girder floor members, wall columns, wall panels as well as k-walls were produced and erected by Blakeslee Prestress, Inc.

The flexibility of precast concrete panels enabled the architects at Fletcher Thompson to simulate the original Georgian colonial architecture of the main building while building a parking structure that meets the parking demands of employees and customers now and for generations to come.