It's been years in the making, and now Coltsville and its iconic dome are finally getting national park status.
Congress approved the plans for Coltsville Park, the first and only national park in the state, as part of a huge defense policy bill.
Congressman John Larson has spearheaded the effort for more than a decade, and Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra has testified in Washington, D.C. in favor of the move.
"[It's] an incredible monumental win, not just for the city of Hartford, for the whole region and our state," Segarra said. "To have a federal park designation here is just an incredible opportunity for our city in terms of growing jobs, in terms of attracting more tourism."
With its elevated title, the city expects the park to generate $150 million and create 1,000 jobs over the next five years.
Improvement plans to the more-than-200 acres of land are already in the works, and with the help of federal funds, the mayor says it will only accelerate from here.
"There's been a lot of infusion of capital dollars into this, and we are going to have to invest even more dollars for the world to see," said Segarra.
Plans include the creation of a museum and observation area overlooking the park.
"In many ways Coltsville helped to make America, and it is important now we have a museum and a place to tell the story," said Segarra.
Residents say the status will do a lot for the city's reputation.
"I think Hartford has a big misconception toward both the people and what's around, and this will hopefully be one step toward letting people understand how great Hartford can be," said Hartford resident Sean Sailer.
The mayor said he plans to work with the National Park Service and request the necessary resources to set the park up for success.
