Park Street in Hartford, Connecticut, has long been a gateway for newcomers—a place where generations of immigrants have built lives, communities, and traditions. Once home to French and Irish families, by the late 1970s it had become the heart of a vibrant Hispanic, primarily Puerto Rican, neighborhood. Stretching from Hartford’s Main Street through Washington Street, across the storied blocks of Frog Hollow, and out toward West Hartford’s more affluent line, Park Street was—and remains—a crossroads of cultures, resilience, and change.

In Park Street Story, photographer John L. Raye revisits the images he made in 1978 and 1979, when he spent two years walking, riding, and living among the people of this overlooked yet unforgettable community. His black-and-white photographs capture a world of sharp contrasts: crumbling tenements shadowed by neon-lit cafés; children leaping onto discarded mattresses with fearless joy; the Savage Nomads and Lady Nomads carving out their identities amid poverty, drug problems, and daily struggles. Yet what stands out most in these images is not despair, but humanity—the warmth of families who opened their doors, the laughter of children skipping rope on cracked sidewalks, the dignity of shopkeepers and street vendors who filled the blocks with color, music, and life.

This anniversary edition honors both the neighborhood and the people who welcomed Raye into their lives. Select prints from the series now reside in the New Britain Museum of American Art, a testament to their historical and artistic significance. Accompanied by the photographer’s reflections on documentary tradition and personal memory, Park Street Story is more than a photo essay—it is a tribute to a community’s spirit, its struggles, and its enduring character.