Press Releases
09/19/2017
Gov. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Wyman Dedicate New State Office Complex in Honor of Ella Grasso and Joseph Fauliso
Agencies Relocated to State-Owned Office Space as Part of Consolidation Project to End Reliance on Leased Properties
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman today held a dedication ceremony at the new state office complex located at 450 Columbus Boulevard in Hartford, where they announced that the two buildings on the property are being named in honor of former Governor Ella Grasso and former Lt. Governor Joseph J. Fauliso.
Built in 1984, the 450 Columbus Boulevard complex was purchased by the State of Connecticut in 2013 as part of a larger project to consolidate rented office space into state-owned property, ending the state’s reliance on a number of leases at several locations in and around Hartford and avoiding costly renovations to existing property.
The fifteen-story north building is being designated the Ella Grasso Building and contains the Department of Administrative Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Consumer Protection, and the Office of Early Childhood.
The eleven-story south building is being designated the Joseph J. Fauliso Building and contains the Department of Revenue Services, the Department of Economic and Community Development, and the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
“Governor Ella Grasso and Lt. Governor Joseph Fauliso led the state through difficult periods of time and had an impact on our state that will long be remembered. On behalf of the State of Connecticut, it is an honor to name these two buildings in their memories,” said Governor Malloy. “By consolidating state offices from a number of rental properties into this state-owned facility, we have developed cost-effective solution that will save the state money over the long-term.”
“I was fortunate to know both Ella and Joe – individuals that were honest, hardworking, and strong leaders,” said Lt. Governor Wyman. “Joe was one of the best debaters this state has seen. Ella, best known as the first woman elected in her own right as governor, was a tireless proponent of fiscal responsibility and cared deeply about Connecticut. I am so honored to be at the naming of these two buildings after two people who loved Connecticut and dedicated their lives to the people of our state.”
“It is a pleasure to be able to recognize and honor two exemplary public servants who did so much to make our state a better place to live,” said Commissioner Melody A. Currey of the Department of Administrative Services, the state agency responsible with maintaining state executive branch facilities in the Hartford area.
More than two thousand state employees work at the 450 Columbus Boulevard facility, bringing considerable new activity to downtown Hartford.
Several of the agencies that relocated to 450 Columbus Boulevard were previously housed within the State Office Building at 165 Capitol Avenue in Hartford. That building, which is currently undergoing a much-needed renovation project, will soon be occupied by staff from the state’s constitutional offices who are currently housed in a leased office building at 55 Elm Street in Hartford.
Governor Ella Tambussi Grasso
Ella Tambussi Grasso was born in Windsor Locks and was the first woman elected governor of a U. S. state without having been the spouse or widow of a former governor.
In 1952, she was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly and served there until 1957. From 1958 to 1970, she served as Connecticut’s Secretary of the State. In 1970, she was elected to her first of two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. While in Congress, she served on the Education and Labor Committee and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
She was elected Governor of Connecticut in 1974, and was re-elected in 1978. Over the course of her tenure as Governor, her leadership was tested in the face of fiscal problems, state layoffs, and budget shortfalls. She endeared herself to her constituents when, during the great Blizzard of 1978, she stayed at the State Armory around the clock, directing emergency operations and making frequent television appearances. Her bold move of closing all roads and businesses in the state by official proclamation allowed emergency workers to perform essential services without worrying about stranded motorists, automobile accidents, and other issues, and allowed the state to get back up and running again in a few days’ time.
Due to illness, Governor Grasso resigned from office in December 1980. She died in Hartford on February 5, 1981, and soon thereafter received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan.
Lt. Governor Joseph J. Fauliso
Joseph J. Fauliso was born in Stonington on February 23, 1916, and was one of the longest-serving Lieutenant Governors in Connecticut history, serving in that office from December 31, 1980 to January 8, 1991 under Governor William A. O’Neill.
Lt. Governor Fauliso’s public service included all three branches of Connecticut state government. He served as a Judge on the Connecticut Circuit Court in the early 1960s and as State Senator from 1967 to 1980, serving the 1st Senatorial District of Hartford. He was elected to seven terms in the State Senate, including three as President Pro Tempore, and was described as the “Cicero of the Senate” for his eloquent and persuasive speeches during Senate debates.
Following Governor Grasso’s resignation in 1980, he succeeded to the position of Lt. Governor, and then was elected twice to that office – in 1982 and 1986 – running on a ticket led by Governor O’Neill. In this position, Lt. Governor Fauliso headed several important projects, including on the Governor’s Development Cabinet, the Governor’s Task Force on Safety in Public Buildings, the Missing Persons Coordinating Committee, the High Technology Council and the Task Force on Racial Harmony.
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