Bank Branch Enlivens Long-Vacant Downtown Hartford Corner

For the first time in six years, there is activity in the two-level, glass-walled space at the foot of the Hartford 21 apartment tower in downtown Hartford.

TD Bank has opened its branch and its Hartford regional hub operations, one of four in Connecticut, in the 10,000-square-foot space at the corner of Trumbull and Asylum streets.

TD Bank’s downtown Hartford branch and regional office has opened, bringing activity to a long-vacant corner. Photo by Kenneth R. Gosselin/kgosselin@courant.com.

TD Bank has a branch on the first floor and offices for employees in various business lines, such as commercial lending, wealth management and government banking, on the second level. The bank expected to have 40 employees in the office initially, with the potential for future expansion.

Northland Investment Corp., the building’s developer and owner, has had a tough time leasing street-level space in the Hartford 21 tower since it first opened in 2006. A grocery store that opened last year to much fanfare closed after just six months and a cellphone store also moved out after just a few months.

The space that occupied by TD Bank, while architecturally interesting, has been particularly tough to lease because the tenant had to work with a two-level space.

There have been successes, however, in leases to First Niagara Bank and the Spiritus wine shop.