The Colt Dome and the Rampant Colt

Hartford, CT - If you have driven through Hartford, CT on I-91 then you have seen the Colt dome. I have been trying to find out how to photograph the dome for a few years. The perfect place would be right on the highway but for safety reasons, that was not going to happen. So I went in back of the building and got these photos, not as good as the highway but much safer.


There are a few stories on how the dome came to being, one story is that it was shipped to Samuel Colt from a Turkish Sultan who was grateful for guns shipped to him during the Crimean War. Another was he was inspired by Byzantine churches he saw in Russia.*


On top of the dome is the Rampant Colt. The Rampant Colt is the symbol of Colt Firearms. The "Rampant Colt" is an ancient symbol of a Stallion carring a broken spear continuing the battle after his rider has fallen.* The Colt and Dome have been replaced over the years.


The front of the Colt Building.

* Info from New York Times