ABSTRACT
A new arena in Hartford, Connecticut, was approved in 1970 and built in 1973. The facility suffered a catastrophic failure in January 1978, when its roof collapsed only hours after a large crowd had attended a UConn hockey game. The center of the roof appears sunken in, while the corners have been thrust upward. Tasked with saving money for the city of Hartford, the architect and engineering firm created an innovative design for the arena’s roof. The proposed roof consisted of two main layers arranged in 30 by 30-ft grids composed of horizontal steel bars 21 ft apart. A set of 30-ft diagonal bars connected the nodes of the upper and lower layers, and, in turn, were braced by a middle layer of horizontal bars. The engineers, contractor, and members of the Hartford City Council made public statements attesting to the safety of the structure.
