C. Gilbert Shepard House (1930)

One of the houses to be featured in The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum 32nd Holiday House Tour on Sunday, Dec. 2, is the Colonial Revival residence located at 4 Mohawk Drive in West Hartford. Built in 1930, the house is the work of architect Lester Beach Scheide and builder Louis Slocum. The house won a West Hartford Historic Preservation Award in 2005. The jury marveled at the amount of work done, which was based on extensive research and use of photographic evidence to restore the home’s former grandeur. The original plans for the house are in the collection of the Connecticut Historical Society, where it is described as a “House for C. Gilbert Shepard.” C. Gilbert Shepard was the son of Charles E. Shepard, whose own house, built in 1900, is on Prospect Avenue. The younger Shepard served as a lieutenant in France in the First World War. Like his father, he became an insurance agent. The Yale Club of Hartford gives the C. Gilbert Shepard Award each year to freshmen from the area who excel at scholarship and athletics.

Ellington Town Hall (1915)

When Ellington’s Congregational Church burned down in 1914, the town simultaneously lost the selectman’s office, which had been located in the church’s basement since 1867. The town then decided to built a Town Hall, which is located at 55 Main Street. Completed in 1915, it was designed by Ellington-born architect J. Henry McCray. The first floor was used as a school from 1921 to 1949 to help alleviate overcrowding at Center School, located next door. The Town Hall was renovated in 1971.

Paul Robeson House (1903)

The Colonial Revival house at 1221 Enfield Street in Enfield was built in 1903. It is known for its association with Paul Robeson, whose family owned it from 1940 to 1953. At that time, Robeson was at the height of his popularity as a singer and actor, famed for his roles in The Emperor Jones (which was the first feature sound film starring an African American) Show Boat, and Othello. Robeson was also a political activist for civil rights and a communist who suffered ostracism and persecution for his beliefs.

Hotel Arrigoni (1914)

At 601-607 Main Street in Middletown stands an impressive five-story Colonial Revival structure, built of granite, brick and concrete block. Now serving as low income housing, it was built in 1914-1915 as the Hotel Arrigoni by Frank Arrigoni, a prominent local building contractor. He and his brother, Dionigi Arrigoni, immigrants from Italy, owned the hotel and established Arrigoni & Brother, a road construction company that built many miles of highway in Connecticut. The hotel was run by the Arrigoni family until 1963. The building, later known as the the March Inn and then the Arriwani Hotel, was converted it into a rooming house. In 1995-1996, it was converted into Liberty Commons (pdf), the first supportive housing program in the state. The building also houses The Buttonwood Tree, a nonprofit performing arts and cultural center. (more…)

Robert B. Weiss Center (1931)

The Robert B. Weiss Center at 479 Main Street in Manchester is home to the town’s Human Services Department. The large Colonial and Classical Revival building was built in 1931-1932 as the Manchester Main U.S. Post Office. It was designed under James A. Wetmore, Acting Supervising Architect for the U.S. Treasury Department, and was well planned for a difficult corner site with a substantial slope. The structure was built by the Pieretti Brothers of Centerbrook. The U.S. Postal Service moved from the building in 1991 and the town bought it for use as offices. It was given its current name in 1994 in honor of Robert B. Weiss, who served 23 years as town manager.

Albert S. Wells House (1903)

The impressive Colonial Revival house at 893 Clinton Avenue in Bridgeport was built in 1903 for Albert S. Wells, general superintendent of the Bridgeport Malleable Iron Company. In 2010, Bridgeport’s Zoning Board of Appeals rejected a proposal to establish a group home for homeless women veterans in the Wells House. Local residents had been fighting to preserve the residential character of their neighborhood.

Union and New Haven Trust Building (1927)

On the northeast corner of New Haven Green, at 205 Church Street, is the Union and New Haven Trust Building, built in 1927-1928. It was designed by Cross and Cross of New York to reflect the architecture of the three churches on the Green. The cupola mirrors that of United Church on the Green. The Union Trust Company moved its headquarters to Stamford in 1981, but a branch office was maintained on the ground floor of the building. After various acquisitions and mergers it is now a Wells Fargo branch. The above picture was taken when the building was undergoing restoration work.