Middlebury Congregational Church (1935)

The Congregational Church in Middlebury dates back to 1791 and the first meetinghouse was built in 1794 on the town Green. The steps, built of stone quarried in Roxbury, and the church bell, cast in Troy, New York, were reused in the second meetinghouse, built in 1839. On April 8, 1935, the church and the neighboring town hall were destroyed in a fire. The bell was shattered but the pieces were recast to make a new bell. A new church was built in 1935-1936 as a replica of the destroyed second meetinghouse. Additions were made to expand the church in later years.

Waterbury City Hall (1915)

Waterbury’s first City Hall, located on West Main Street and facing the Green, was destroyed by fire in 1912. The current City Hall, on Grand Street, was begun in July 1914 and opened in 1915. Called the Waterbury Municipal Building, it was unusual in its time for containing not just the mayor and city council, but the Police and Fire Departments as well. It was designed by the famous architect Cass Gilbert of New York, who won a design competition for the proposed structure in 1913. After winning the competition, Gilbert wanted to switch from his original plans for a brick and marble building to one with an all marble facade. Although this request was denied by the city, Gilbert had another opportunity when he designed the Chase Brass & Copper Company Building (across the street) for Henry S. Chase in 1917. The Chase family had also helped to fund the City Hall. In later years, the building‘s maintenance was neglected and it was officially condemned in 2006. Local citizens rallied to save the historic building from demolition. Rehabilitation plans were drawn up and voters approved a bond issue to fund the restoration work, which was carried out in 2009-2010. City Hall was rededicated on January 1, 2011.

New Canaan Library (1913)

The New Canaan Library was founded by volunteers in 1877 and received its first annual grant from the town in 1895. Housed for many years in a reading room on Elm Street, the library moved to a new building at 151 Main Street in 1913. Designed by Alfred H. Taylor of New York and New Canaan, the library is constructed of irregular fieldstone blocks. The building was expanded in 1937 and 1952 and the Lapham Wing was added in 1979. Due to increasing usage, the library is seeking to to replace its aging facilities.

Morris Plan Bank, Bridgeport (1924)

Morris Plan banks, private banking organizations which gave small loans to industrial workers, emerged in the second decade of the twentieth century and thrived through the end of the Great Depression. The Morris Plan Bank in Bridgeport was designed by Ernest G. Southey and was built at 102 Bank Street in 1924. Today, the building is part of the City Trust Building Complex, a commercial and apartment complex which also includes the Bridgeport City Trust Company Building (1927-1929) and associated Trust Department Building (the latter also designed in the Colonial Revival style by Southey), and the Liberty Building (1918).

First National Bank of Litchfield (1891)

The First National Bank of Litchfield long occupied a historic 1816 building on North Street in Litchfield. In 1891, another supplementary building was constructed on nearby West Street. Until recently, it contained the bank’s Trust Division and Investment Management Services. In 2010, the First National Bank of Litchfield merged with Union Savings Bank, founded in 1866.

Founders Hall, Loomis-Chaffee School (1916)

The Loomis School in Windsor, later to become Loomis-Chaffee, was founded by five Loomis siblings who had all lost their own children. In the 1910s, the firm of Murphy & Dana of New York created a plan for the school‘s campus that would feature a symmetrical quadrangle and covered walkways, reminiscent of Thomas Jefferson’s plan for the University of Virginia. Anchoring the quadrangle is the centerpiece of the Georgian Revival-style campus: Founders Hall, completed in 1916. The building, which originally contained the school’s entire academic program, also houses Founders Chapel.