Travelers Tower (Hartford, Connecticut)

 office building, business centre/building, skyscraper

The Travelers Insurance Company was founded by James Goodwin Batterson in 1863 as the first casualty insurance company in North America. Its current location is its fourth home in the city. In 1919, the tower was completed under the direction of New York City architect, Donn Barber, who also designed the Connecticut State Library, Supreme Court Building and the Hartford Times building.

At 34 stories in height, the tower reaches 527 feet above street level and has a flashing red beacon during the daytime as an aid to air navigation. At night, the tower is lit by white light. The Travelers Tower was once the tallest structure in New England and is still a dominant architectural feature in Hartford.

In 2004 – after over 140 years as a Hartford-based company – Travelers Property & Casualty merged with a subsidiary of the St. Paul Companies to become St. Paul Travelers. Although it still has a large presence in the city, the company is now based in Saint. Paul, Minnesota.

In recent years, the tower has been a nesting site for Peregrine Falcons, an endangered species. A "falconcam" was set up on the tower for scientific observation and was made available on the web for public viewing. The Travelers Tower observation deck is open to the public on weekdays from May through October, free of charge. For more information, call 860-277-4208.

falconcam.travelers.com/
www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display_projec...