Hartt School neighborhood?

Hi–I wondered if anyone could comment about the location of this program in Hartford? D and I were just in Hartford for an event over MLK weekend and unfortunately didn’t have time to take a tour of campus this trip (plus the weather was awful!), but we happened to drive by on our way from the downtown convention center to our hotel in the nearby town of Avon, CT. I thought the neighborhood as we approached from Avon through West Hartford looked nice, but one night as we came back from downtown, we happened to see a sign for the performing arts center, right by a pretty gritty looking area…

I know the kids in the program can take a shuttle to the performing arts part of campus, but I’m now wondering how much of an issue that is? I couldn’t really see any of the campus proper as we drove by, just that one building, with the “Backstage Cafe.” I guess I expected more of a campus feel around where the students would be spending most of their time–was I just missing something by seeing it from that direction?

Any input would be appreciated. We’re still planning to take a tour later in the spring–when the weather is more cooperative!

I can’t speak to the Hartt School campus, but the vast majority of West Hartford is a pleasant suburb, which I have visited about a dozen times. I’ve always felt safe walking around Farmington Avenue, Main Street and the surrounding area, there are many places to enjoy a bite to eat and the people are pleasant.

@toystorymom my daughter is a freshman MT at Hartt. West Hartford is a very nice area but the immediate area around the Performing Arts Center is not as developed. The shuttle does run there regularly and for the hours it does not other Hartt students drive younger students without cars back to campus. The kids are really close and look out for each other that way. The main campus is a pretty typical campus with basic dorms as well as apartment complexes. MT students split there time between music class rooms at the main campus and the HPAC. They really don’t take many academic classes until Jr year so they are at the HPAC building ALOT. If you have other questions feel free to DM me as well.

Yeah, the HPAC is about a mile off campus and the shuttle bus runs continuously back and forth. My D is a freshman acting major, and never has a reason to be in the “gritty”-looking part of town that’s past HPAC - she just takes the shuttle from campus to HPAC and back, door to door. The main campus is very pretty, lots of trees and green spaces and there’s a stream with a bridge.

The other direction is lovely, beautiful homes and then the fun downtown area with shops and restaurants and movie theater.

If you picture a capital “T,” then the main campus is at the bottom of the T; if you go to the top of the T and turn left, you’re at HPAC; if you continue in that left direction it’s the “gritty” neighborhood; if you’re at the top of the T and turn right, it’s the beautiful neighborhood with fancy homes and then the fun downtown area. You didn’t see the campus because you were driving along the top of the T (Albany Ave.), but the campus is at the bottom of the long part of the T (Bloomfield Ave.) Hope that makes sense!

My D. is a junior MT. That trip back and forth from HPAC to the main campus and dorms was a huge concern to me when she first went there, but I’ve come to understand very well it didn’t need to be. As someone above said, the shuttle runs very regularly, and the upper class students are almost fanatical about making sure everyone has a safe ride back to campus after late rehearsals. I’ve seen them gather in the lobby and sort out who was riding with who, etc. and not break up until they were sure everyone was accounted for. I also second everything above about how nice and welcoming West Hartford is in general. Our D. loves it there and we love visiting.

I’m from CT and grew up just outside Hartford. It’s not something I’d be overly concerned with.

Another Hartt parent to chime in here (D is a freshman MT)…agree with all of the above. Shuttles run late from HPAC back to the dorms and yes, they definitely do look out for one another! If they venture off campus, they’re usually heading toward West Hartford (Blue Back Square, Westfarms Mall, etc…) which is lovely. The main campus is a typical campus with green space…quite pretty. D has Music Theory, Ear Training, and Writing on Main Campus…everything else at HPAC. I hope you enjoy the tour in the spring. Feel free to DM me if you want more info.

Thanks for all the great & very enlightening comments! I especially love the image of the “T”–thanks, actorparent1! That definitely helps to picture the area. Also great to get confirmation from so many parents of current students–good to know your kids feel safe and comfortable on campus, SAS0792, actorparent1, Fotokat, and MThopeful2022! My D was a bit taken aback when she realized that was the performing arts area, as that Albany Ave route to the convention center didn’t seem very appealing. I’ve been trying to reassure her that she’ll probably feel differently once she sees the rest of campus!

I think I just have enough posts to be able to DM on this forum–will keep that in mind if other questions about Hartt come up. Thanks!

You’re very welcome, @toystorymom! When you come to tour the school, I have a hotel recommendation: the West Hartford Inn. It’s very affordable (about $100 a night), it’s clean and comfortable, and it’s in a great location: only a couple of miles from the school, a very short easy drive, and only a couple of blocks away from the fun downtown area with the shops and restaurants, so once you settle in at the hotel, you can walk over there for dinner. We always stay there when we go to visit my daughter.

The area around the HPAC building is not the best of places, but the parking lot is fenced in there, if I recall, and the building itself has security guards. On weeknights and weekends, HPAC hosts hundreds of kids (pre-school through high school) for various levels of dance classes through the Hartt Community Division - no way people are sending their kids to a place that is NOT safe.

I would assume that students come there via a shuttle or car from the main campus, which is nice. It’s too far for a walk - it may be about one mile as the crow flies, but closer to 2 miles when you drive.

Please feel free to reach out if you come up with any other questions about the University, the MT program, or the community!

Thanks for the additional info NewJeffCT and thanks, Fotokat, for the hotel recommendation! All really helpful. I’ll definitely reach out if we have more questions. As I mentioned earlier, we’re waiting to visit campus until the weather warms up a bit, as I’d like D to have a more positive impression of the area.

My D is a graduating senior (where did the time go) and they do have a saying “Don’t go left out of HPAC” - it is not the best area, but there is security and in 4 years there has never been an issue, even late at night. My D did have a car all 4 years, so she never dealt with the shuttle but it runs very regularly, and those with cars are always around for rides too. The town of West Hartford is terrific, with lots of great shops and restaurants, and the Westfarms Mall is very nice too. Always feel free to DM is you have questions!

Thanks, gingersnap97! I actually talked with a parent of a freshman Hartt student (not MT) this past weekend and got some great information about the campus and general area, but it’s great to get another perspective, especially from someone whose child has been there 4 years! Thanks so much for chiming in! Will definitely DM if needed as we move through this process.