Preserving this building may not have been part of the plan but thanks to the efforts of Hartford architects who resisted the idea and instead moved for its inclusion in the National Historic Trust Preservation, this building now stands as the headquarters of CIGNA eliciting favorable reaction from the public.

At present, this CIGNA corporate headquarters at Harford is both modern and classic – delivery of mail to every department is undertaken by a ROBOT. The building retained its sleekness, a signature it has attained for being designed by Gordon Bunshaft, the same person responsible for the popular Yale’s Beinecke Library who captured the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1988. Another attraction of this preserved structure is the surrounding gardens, and sculpture by the renowned Isamu Noguchi.

The demolition of the original Wilde building was intended to make way for a golf course, hotels, convention center, and apartments. It was built in 1957 under the orders of the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company president Frazar B. Wilde. In its heydays, the building was considered very modern with Florence Knoll as its interior designer. It housed offices for the dental and medical needs of its employees.

Due to its inclusion in the list of buildings for historic preservation though, plans are underway to come up with alternatives to demolition.