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June 8, 2020

Downtown Hartford restaurant faces eviction uncertainty

HBJ Photos | Joe Cooper The Russell restaurant in downtown Hartford has been temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Joe Cooper

One of downtown Hartford’s most active landlord-developers has filed a lawsuit seeking to evict Caribbean bar-restaurant The Russell and The Russell Grab & Go next door on Pratt Street for allegedly failing to pay rent.

Court documents show that New York’s Shelbourne Global Solutions LLC in January filed a complaint in Hartford Superior Court claiming The Russell, owned by restaurateur Hugh Russell, defaulted on its lease by "failing to pay all sums" when due.

The complaint came months after Shelbourne in November served the restaurant with a notice to vacate the premises, and the business continued to occupy the 2,212-square-foot commercial space at 103-105 Pratt St., records show.

In a March court filing, The Russell contested that it "neither admits nor denies the allegations" made by Shelbourne.

The legal spat remains in limbo as Connecticut courts have curtailed operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no new court proceedings scheduled on the matter as of Monday morning.

A spokesperson for Shelbourne told HBJ the company could not comment on ongoing litigation, and Russell and his attorney did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment.

Records show The Russell had been operating on a May 2016 lease it signed with previous landlord Trumbull Towers Management for the ground-level space at the corner of Pratt/Trumbull streets, opposite the XL Center. The Russell first debuted downtown in 2005, and the neighboring to-go business launched two years ago. The restaurant has been temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to its Facebook page.

The retail space is located in an adjoining six-story, 115,000-square-foot building that Shelbourne acquired for $2.35 million in 2018.

Legal proceedings between Shelbourne and The Russell began earlier this year as Shelbourne and development partners Lexington Partners LLC and LAZ Parking started a $100-million plan to redevelop the underutilized Pratt Street corridor.

Before work began on the redevelopment, Russell told HBJ he welcomed the prospect of more eateries on or near Pratt Street, and that the project would make Pratt Street "more of a destination."

Meanwhile, Shelbourne has been steadily growing its footprint in the Capital City since 2014, buying some of downtown’s most prized Class A office towers, including 100 Pearl, 20 Church St. and The Gold Building.

In recent months, it has also acquired an office building at the corner of Main and Charter Oak streets, and the long-vacant “Flatiron” building just north of downtown, among other surface parkings lots and buildings.

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