A fixture of this community for 63 years, the Children's Museum of West Hartford was at risk of vanishing when the owner of its building sold the land last year to a developer to be turned into a luxury condo complex.
Meanwhile, the Emanuel Synagogue was looking for an educational tenant to occupy its former school wing at 160 Mohegan Dr., which had closed during the pandemic.
The space wasn't a natural fit, but it offered a viable solution for housing the local institution, and for that it earned a 2023 CoStar Impact Award as Hartford's lease of the year, as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market.
After signing a lease for the space, museum leaders got to work refitting the classrooms into suitable animal habitats and exhibit space, in addition to designing a preschool program space — work that was completed in just a few months.
Lisa Cudrin Sadinsky , a real estate broker with Broder Commercial in West Hartford, outlined some of the challenges in converting the space to meet the needs of the museum.
"For one, the available space was a fraction of what the museum needed. Second, the strict single-family residential zone only permitted the museum's preschool program to operate at 160 Mohegan, not the museum's general operation. And third, the 'cultures' of a public science museum and a private religious congregation aren't a logical pair. What these two parties do have in common, however, is the best interest of our community's children and their education," she wrote.
She added that the "endeavor was of personal importance" to her.
"I am a lifelong West Hartford resident, and the museum and the Emanuel were both part of my childhood. As an adult, my own children received their preschool education at the museum's preschool and their religious foundation at the Emanuel. We learn from an early age that civic responsibility requires us to care for our neighbors, especially in times of need. The Emanuel building had a fraction of the space the Museum needed, but the owners were willing to spend countless hours replanning their own space use, working through zoning issues, and neighborhood concerns, and balancing a private religious institution with a public science institution for the greater benefit of the community. Countless hours of community and congregation-based conversation was required to make this a successful partnership, not to mention a fast-track zoning process," she wrote.
"The museum is now once again open to the public, the preschool has full occupancy, and the Emanuel was able to help a beloved neighbor in need and has a great tenant as a result. It is absolutely a win for tenant, owner and the community at large in so many ways."
About the Project: Lease signed on Aug. 1, 2022, at 160 Mohegan Dr., West Hartford, Connecticut, for 13,000 square feet on two stories, which previously was the school wing of the Emanuel Synagogue. The space will now be utilized by The Children's Museum of West Hartford.
What the Judges Said: "Avoided a cultural loss by securing a home for a proven educational facility that has positively impacted families in the region or decades." — John J. Galvin, owner and principal, Galvin Appraisal LLC
"The positive impact on the community, the lessor and the unusual challenges faced in completing this transaction make it stand out in so many ways. It created two opportunities for highest and best uses to repurpose and redevelop two underutilized, unique pieces of real estate. It will not only result in creation of jobs and new desired housing, but years of experiences and education for area children and adults at the new museum location. Additionally, it helps add needed income to a religious facility that was underutilized." — Daniel Rosow, broker and chief executive officer, Real Estate Advisory Group
"This lease allows a long-standing institution of West Hartford to remain in the town while opening up their previous location to redevelopment." — Joseph Beaudoin, director of acquisitions, Lexington Partners
"The difficulty of the reuse, and the continuation of the nonprofit in the West Hartford Market, will remain an asset for the community. Also, the Emanuel Church has been looking for the right fit, for many years, and now they have it." — Peter D'Addeo, owner and principal, CSR Commercial Services Realty
They Made It Happen: Michael Werle, executive director of The Children's Museum & Preschool; and Kobi Benita, executive director of Emanuel Synagogue as well as Lisa Cudrin Sadinsky with Broder Commercial.
