Hartford’s bright and airy Lyceum has been a Frog Hollow neighborhood landmark since the 19th century. Its sweeping arches and inviting spaces, paired with modern technological amenities, make it an ideal location for conferences, meetings and events. The Lyceum Resource and Conference Center is a place dedicated to knowledge sharing, policy development and practical solutions to ending homelessness, creating affordable housing and developing strong communities.
The Lyceum is a project of the Melville Charitable Trust, whose generous investments in organizations and projects in Connecticut and at the national level have led the way in finding and fighting the causes of homelessness. The Trust’s restoration of The Lyceum and investment in the Frog Hollow neighborhood are building a stronger community - offering a full range of resources for the neighborhood, the city and the state.
Operated by the Partnership for Strong Communities, the program arm of the Melville Charitable Trust, The Lyceum is available to groups and individuals working on programs and initiatives to end homelessness, promote affordable housing and advance best practices in community development. Organizations, businesses or government agencies wishing to use The Lyceum may contact the Conference Center Manager at 860.244-0077 or .
History
A “lyceum” was Aristotle’s idea of a place for people to read, learn, produce art, exercise and join together. The Archdiocese of Hartford built the Lyceum in 1895 as a community center for the immigrants coming to live and work in Hartford, many of them across the street at the Billings Forge, which made precision tools.
The Archdiocese sold the Lyceum to the Hartford Box Co. in 1920, which used the building to manufacture boxes for twenty years. In 1940, the Lithuanian-American Society bought it and transformed it back to a community center into the 1980s, when it was sold and became – at various times – the home of a PR company, a hot air balloon manufacturer, a punk rock club, a law firm, Hartford Areas Rally Together and other uses.
The Melville Charitable Trust bought the Lyceum in 2003, renovated it to accommodate space for conferences, meetings, and offices, and it has been a center for housing policy since then.
Rooms, Capacities & Features
The Lyceum provides wired and wireless public access to the internet, as well as the capacities and technology listed below.
Conference Room A
Capacity - 10 to 20 people
Audio teleconferencing
DVD/VCR Display
Projector and 5 foot screen
White Board
Conference Room B
Capacity - 10 people or less
Audio teleconferencing
White Board
Conference Center
Capacity - 20 to 150 people w/adaptable seating configuration, 2 Balconies (10-20 people each)
