UConn celebrated the opening Monday of its new Pratt Street Residence Hall, which will enhance the undergraduate experience for students from its nearby UConn Hartford campus and contribute to the vitality and economy of the city’s historic downtown.

President Radenka Maric led a celebratory event at the residence hall, marking the official opening with a ribbon-cutting and remarks from state and local officials, University leaders, corporate and community partners, and others.

The much-anticipated residence hall at 64 Pratt St. will open next week as about 200 undergraduates move into its apartment-style living spaces.

With four floors and a central atrium, the former office space has been renovated to include student-centric spots including classrooms, lounges, a fitness area, and gathering space in central atrium.

It also benefits from its central entrance on historic Pratt Street, a brick-lined pedestrian-only road lined with restaurants, merchants, and other local businesses. The residence hall is an easy five-block walk to UConn Hartford, and just around the corner from the PeoplesBank Arena and other city attractions.

Maric told the assembled crowd Monday that the residence hall’s opening marks an important step in securing UConn’s place at the heart of the state’s capital city, and will be a major benefit to Hartford, local businesses, major employers — and most importantly, to UConn students.

“This investment in our students is also an investment in Hartford’s future. Together we are helping to create a more vibrant, dynamic downtown where students can live, learn, and contribute to the city’s growth,” Maric said.

“This is what UConn is all about: UConn changes the lives of young people and the communities where they live,” she added. “I am very excited that we are writing a new chapter in this great city together.”

UConn Hartford’s enrollment has been steadily increasing, with a growing number of students choosing to start their UConn journey there and many staying there throughout their four years.

For students like Kai Blatchford ’28 (SSW) and Arielle Crichlow ’26 (CLAS), being able to live in a residence hall while attending UConn Hartford is an ideal and long-awaited opportunity. Both will serve as resident assistants in the new facility, and were on hand to celebrate the opening Monday.

“By supporting students with these residential opportunities, UConn isn’t just offering a place to sleep, but a place to belong. We have space to grow as leaders, to engage deeply with downtown Hartford’s vibrant culture, and to truly call the city our home,” Crichlow said.

That sense of belonging is exactly what UConn officials envisioned when they started discussing the possibility of student housing near the Hartford campus.

UConn Board of Trustees member Tom Ritter, one of the main drivers of the project, said Monday that the project’s success reflects the work of many people and organizations who believed strongly that it was good for students and also for the city and region.

The Hartford residence hall was developed through a partnership with Lexington Partners LLC, Shelbourne Global Solutions LLC, and LAZ Investments. UConn holds a master lease to operate it as student housing with an on-site director, resident assistants, and services there similar to residence halls at Storrs and Stamford.

The residence hall has garnered strong community support, including hundreds of thousands of dollars donated by local businesses – notably Travelers, The Hartford, and Global Atlantic – for scholarships to help offset housing costs for students with financial constraints.

The residence hall is a testament to what can be achieved when institutions invest in students and the communities around them, said Andy Bessette ’75 (CLAS), Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Travelers and a member of UConn’s Board of Trustees.

“Education changes lives – we see it every day through Travelers EDGE, our school-to-career program that has helped hundreds of students earn their degrees and launch careers in insurance and financial services,” he added.

“UConn has helped that initiative succeed from the very beginning. We welcome this first cohort of students to their new home on Pratt Street and look forward to watching them shape the future of Hartford and beyond.”

AnnMarie LaBreck, head of community relations at The Hartford, said the company is committed to helping the city thrive, including through supporting UConn Hartford and its student housing project.

“We’re proud to provide housing scholarships that help remove a financial barrier for students, allowing them to live, learn and fully experience college life in downtown Hartford without taking on additional debt,” LaBreck said. “When we invest in students, we’re investing in Hartford and the next generation of leaders, workers and community members who will help shape our city’s future.”

UConn opened the Hartford campus downtown in 2017, and has worked since then to position it as a centerpiece of a thriving capital city by bringing people downtown to learn, live, and support the regional economy.

The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), City of Hartford, State of Connecticut, and other entities also helped make the residence hall project a reality with financing assistance through grants, loans, and property tax agreements.

“UConn is Hartford, and Hartford is UConn,” former CRDA executive director Michael Freimuth said Monday.