UConn leasing downtown Hartford apartment building for up to 57 students in the coming academic year
HBJ PHOTO | Gregory Seay
525 Main St., Hartford
Eager to offer student housing near its downtown Hartford campus, the University of Connecticut announced Monday it will lease apartments at a recently converted former municipal building near Hartford City Hall.
UConn said it will accommodate up to 57 students at “The Donaghue,” a former municipal office building at 525 Main St., that has been converted to apartments by Spectra and its partners, brothers Matthew and Evan Levy.
The lease opens the door to student housing for the 2025-2026 academic year beginning this fall. It’s intended to acclimate students to downtown living ahead of the opening of a new dormitory for up to 200 students in a converted 144,644-square-foot building at 64 Pratt St.
“The housing option will help students develop a strong sense of community and build momentum moving into the coming year as we prepare to open the housing on Pratt Street,” said Nathan Fuerst, UConn’s vice president for student life and enrollment. “We’re very excited to be able to offer a housing opportunity even earlier than we anticipated, and we look forward to strong interest.”
The Pratt Street dorm, which is expected to open in August 2026, is being created under a partnership between real estate investment company Shelbourne Global Solutions, developer Lexington Partners and prolific Hartford-based businessman Alan Lazowski.
The building at 525 Main St. is a four-story, century-old former municipal building sold by the city to Spectra specifically for conversion into 42 apartments above commercial spaces. The building is across the street from the Hartford Public Library and a few minutes’ walk from the downtown UConn campus.
UConn plans to lease up to three floors of studio and one-bedroom apartments at 525 Main St., from July 31, 2025 through May 31, 2026. After that, student living will be focused at the 64 Pratt St. dorm, UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said.
UConn’s lease at 525 Main St. would pay out $172,800 per floor through the term, according to the university. The university has the option to lease one, two or three floors, depending on demand. This would accommodate up to 19 students per floor.
Spectra President Daniel Klaynberg said he expects the university to inform him on May 1 how many floors it will lease.
Students who share a one-bedroom apartment with a roommate will pay $11,734 in rent for the academic year. Those who have a single bedroom to themselves will pay $13,888.
UConn stressed its push for downtown living as another example of its deepening connection with the Capital City. The university opened its downtown campus in 2017, followed more recently by the opening of an academic and research facility in a building attached to the XL Center arena.
UConn also plans to open a cafe within its downtown Hartford campus.
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