Hartford Courant Owners to Close Headquarters At End of 2020

HARTFORD, CT — Publishers of the Hartford Courant, the nation's oldest continuously published newspaper, announced Friday the imminent closure of the company's Broad Street offices and newsroom.

A written statement said the company, founded in 1764 and owned by Tribune Publishing of Chicago since 2000, would close the offices it has called headquarters since the mid-1940s.

"With no clear path forward in terms of returning to work, and as the company evaluates its real estate needs in light of health and economic conditions brought about by the pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close the Hartford Courant office at 285 Broad Street in Hartford as of Dec. 27, 2020," according to the statement.

Reporters and staff members have been working remotely since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March.

In an email to employees obtained by Patch, publisher/editor-in-chief Andrew Julien wrote, "This is a decision about real estate needs amid a difficult and challenging time on both the public health and economic fronts. It won’t change the essence of what we do: delivering the high-impact journalism readers have come to expect from the Courant and crafting creative solutions that meet the needs of our advertising partners."

Two months ago, the printing presses at Courant headquarters were shut down, with the newspaper outsourcing printing operations to the Springfield Republican in Massachusetts.

Current and former staff members were joined by national, state and local officials in lamenting the decision to close the facility.

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin wrote on Twitter, "At a time when so many cities have seen their papers of record close down altogether, we're fortunate that the Hartford Courant continues in operation, with committed reporters on the beat covering our city and our state every day. But it's a sad day and a tough blow to see the Tribune Publishing Company close the newsroom and physical headquarters of the oldest continuously published newspaper in America. Robust and trusted local journalism is critical for the health of local democracy, government, and community, and as more and more papers get acquired by hedge funds focused on the bottom line, we should all worry deeply about the relentless pressures and constant chipping away at the resources dedicated to local news."

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the closure "a gut punch for the employees and readers of America’s oldest newspaper," and advocated for "community outrage, or a new owner."

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