Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Author: Daniel

Crocker House (1872)

The Crocker House is a five-story luxury hotel built at 180 State Street in New London in 1872. The project was inspired by A. N. Ramsdell, president of the New London Railroad and the New London City Bank. The hotel was named for Henry Scudder Crocker, its first proprietor, who who was also the manager of the elite Pequot House summer resort. The Crocker House‘s Mansard-roofed top floor was later destroyed in a fire. An addition to the building, designed by architect James Sweeney, was erected in 1914. Playwright Eugene O’Neill could often be found in the hotel’s bar. Today the former hotel is the Crocker House Apartments. (more…)

William Shelton House (1830)

William Shelton (1805-1860) was a hat maker in Windsor who filled orders for customers as far away as Philadelphia. In 1830 he built the transitional Federal/Greek Revival house at 40 Pleasant Street. It was constructed of bricks from William Mack’s brickyard, which opened that year at the foot (east end) of Pleasant Street. Behind Shelton’s house was an industrial area along Mill Brook where he made his hats. The house currently contains antique furniture that was brought back from the attic and barn and restored.

Grace Baptist Church, Bristol (1957)

Grace Baptist Church in Bristol was founded in 1888 and was originally known as the Swedish Baptist Church. The name was later changed when its parishioners began to include many who were not of Swedish descent. The church was located on Goodwin Street until 1942 when it moved into a converted residence at 38 Prospect Place. Outgrowing the building, a new church was built at the corner of King Street and Louisiana Avenue, completed in 1957. (For more info, see: “Baptist Church Launches $40,000 Building Drive,” Hartford Courant, February 5, 1955).

Essex Square Theatre (1925)

The Benjamin Williams, Jr. Homestead was erected in 1814 at what is now Essex Square in Essex. In 1925 the old house was removed and replaced by the Essex Square Theatre building. The theatre showed movies and also had space for four retail stores and four offices. Films played there until 1972 and in 1984 the building was acquired by Talbots.

Eli Parmelee House (1860)

The Italianate-style house at 72 Church Street in Guilford was built c. 1860. It has Queen Anne-style porches added later in the nineteenth century. This was the home of Deacon Eli Parmelee (1808-1882) who served in the state legislature and was a deacon of the First Congregational Church from 1852 until his death in 1882.

John Robinson House (1890)

On page 34 of the volume by Lynn Kloter Fahy on Ellington in the Images of America series (Arcadia Publishing, 2005) is an image of the John Robinson House, 107 Maple Street, taken c. 1910. The image shows that the house, built in 1890, once had many more features of the Queen Anne style, including decorative trim and a front porch. The house does retain its original pyramidal roof. Behind the house was Robinson’s blacksmith shop.

Old Merrick House (1771)

The Old Merrick House, also known as the Rice-Merrick House, at 244 Tolland Turnpike in Willington is a Colonial Cape built before 1771 by John Rice. Gideon Merrick acquired the property in 1811. The Merrick family operated a store next door for a number of years.