Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Bristol National Bank (1904)

The Bristol National Bank, organized by John H. Sessions and Charles S. Treadway, was chartered in 1875. Sessions was president until his death in 1899 and was succeeded by Treadway, who died in 1905. The bank occupied a building on Main Street, built in 1877-1878, until a new building (245-247 Main Street), built in 1904-1905, was ready for occupancy in August, 1905. The 1878 building was then demolished, as the Hartford Courant described the plans on March 31, 1904, “so that the bank will have an open space between it and the driveway which goes to the freight depot of the “Consolidated” railroad.” As the Courant described the new building on August 3, 1905:

The bank building occupies one lot north of the old bank on Main street, which was erected in 1878. It has a liberal frontage on Main street and is two stories high. The construction is of Roman brick with white marble trimmings and in front are four large pillars. There are two floors; the first is used exclusively by the bank and the second contains the law offices of Judge Roger S. Newell, William J. Malone, the probate court rooms, and the patent law department of the New Departure Manufacturing Company, which occupies three rooms.

The building was designed by Theodore Peck and built by the Torrington Building Company. In 1922, the bank moved again, this time to a new building, located further south on Main Street.

Bridgeport City Trust Building (1929)

Built between 1927 and 1929, the Bridgeport City Trust Building, at 955 Main Street in Bridgeport, is a 10-story art deco building designed by the firm of Dennison & Hirons. It is part of a group of buildings, called the CityTrust Complex, that were constructed between 1917 and 1930. After the Bridgeport Citytrust Company failed in 1991, the building was restored and is now called the City Trust Apartments.

First National Bank, Wallingford (1882)

The Renaissance Revival building at 35 South Main Street in Wallingford, built in 1882, was originally the home of the First National Bank (founded in 1881), which moved to a new building in 1921. The building’s original first floor arcade has been partially filled in.

Essex Savings Bank (1922)

The Essex Savings Bank in Essex was founded in 1851. The bank was initially located above a retail business in Essex and in 1873 it moved into an 1849 building previously occupied by the Saybrook Bank. This building was remodeled and expanded into what it is today in 1922. The Essex Savings Bank was originally founded because of the wealth generated by shipbuilding. Unlike many other banks, it has never merged with another institution.

Guilford Trust Company (1912)

The Guilford Trust Company building, at 1 Boston Street across from Guilford Green, was built in 1912. The Guilford Trust Company and the Guilford Savings Bank shared the building until 1951, when the bank moved out. The trust company was acquired by a New Haven bank in 1957 and the building underwent alterations, including the removal of the front door. The structure is now a commercial building.

Bridgeport Savings Bank (1917)

At the corner of Main and State Streets in Bridgeport is a bank building designed by Cass Gilbert and built in 1917. It was home to the Bridgeport Savings Bank, which was chartered in 1842 and merged with People’s Savings Bank in 1927. The bank’s first building was constructed at Main and State Streets in 1850, was replaced by a larger building in 1878 and then by the current building. People’s United Bank, as the company has been known since 2007, is now based in an office tower across the street. The 1917 bank building is now a restaurant. Read the rest of this entry »

Home Bank and Trust Company (1922)

The former building of the Home Bank and Trust Company, at 16 Colony Street in Meriden, was built in 1922. Originally chartered as the Home Bank of West Meriden in 1854, the bank was first located in the Collins Block, which was later destroyed by fire (the Hall & Lewis Building occupies the site now). In 1863, the bank moved to its own building, at the corner of Colony and Church Streets. Abiram Chamberlin, president of the bank, who served as Governor of Connecticut from 1903 to 1905, lived on the second floor of the brick building. The 1863 building was moved around the corner to make way for the 1922 building, designed by the firm of McKim, Mead and White. The bank became Shawmut Home Bank in 1987 and the following year was acquired by Connecticut National Bank. Today, the former bank building is home to a nightclub. Read the rest of this entry »