Sage Allen was a middle-market department store chain based in downtown Hartford. It was a fixture in Connecticut and New England with anchor stores in regional malls in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The store closed in 1994.
The flagship store on Main Street was built in 1898 in the distinctive classical revival, Romanesque architectural style, which was in contrast to the neoclasical design of its prominent neighbor in the district, the G.Fox Building. With funding from CCEDA as part of the "Six Pillars" initiative, the distinguished facade located in the historic district of downtown Hartford now serves as an entrance to a 78 unit rental home complex that caters to graduate students and corporate interns. Its location in the heart of downtown is easily accessed from Interstates 84 and 91 and within walking distance from local theatres, restaurants, colleges, corporate offices and attractions such as the Connecticut Science Center, the Old State House, the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Front Street entertainment district.
Along with the rental homes, Main and Temple also has over 13,000 square feet of retail space currently occupied by DISH Restaurant and Citibank. An underground garage is available for residents and transient parkers. The restoration and redevelopment project was completed in 2006.
- The restoration and redevelopment project won the Connecticut Preservation Award of Merit in 2008.
- The downtown housing projects of the "Six Pillars" was intended to get people on the streets, which would serve as catalyst for further development. Main and Temple was one of four housing initiatives overseen by CCEDA: Hartford 21, Trumbull on the Park, Main and Temple and Phase II of Front Street.
- Main and Temple had a budget of $28 million and was built as a public/private funded collaboration, WinnCompanies, headquarterd in Boston's Historic Faneuil Hall, was the project developer.
