Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Colonial Revival

Meriden B.P.O. Elks Lodge (1928)

Meriden Lodge No. 35, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was incorporated in 1909. The Meriden Lodge‘s current building, at 120 East Main Street, was built in 1928.

New Canaan Playhouse (1923)

The Playhouse in New Canaan is a 1923 movie theater at 89 Elm Street. Originally having a single screen, it was later converted to two screens and continues today as a first run movie theater, owned by the town but managed by Bow Tie Cinemas. This past year the Playhouse was renovated, with new seats and bathroom and a display case in the left front window, which had earlier been boarded up and painted white (as seen in the image above).

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Bristol (1907)

German immigrants founded the German Lutheran Church in Bristol in 1892 (or 1894). A church was built on School Street, on the south bank of the Pequabuck River, in 1896. A split in the church soon emerged: one group, which would affiliate with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, constructed Immanuel Lutheran Church in 1907 at 154 Meadow Street. The other group built Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church on Judd Street (the original church building has since been replaced) in 1906. School buildings were constructed adjacent to Immanuel Lutheran Church in 1925 and 1963.

Rose Haven (1888)

Rose Haven is a Colonial Revival house at 31 North Street in Litchfield. Built by Charles Beldon, it was converted into a home for the aged in 1946. Note: This post was written on 09/02/2011 and backdated so that there would be a regular post for 04/01/2011 as well as an April Fool’s Post.

The John E. Luddy House (1921)

At 261 Broad Street in Windsor is the house built by John E. Luddy in 1921. Luddy, manager of the Connecticut Leaf Tobacco Association, was the founder of the Windsor Company, a textile manufacturer which produced shade cloth. This gauze-like cloth was used to protect the growing shade tobacco from the sun. Luddy also set up a trust fund to support the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Historical Society. Luddy’s house and carriage house were sold to the Town of Windsor in 1964 and today the Luddy House is home to the Windsor Chamber of Commerce.

Katharine Matthies House (1940)

The house at 59 West Street in Seymour was built in 1940 as the home of Katharine Matthies, daughter of the Seymour industrialist, George Matthies. She was a philanthropist, who left as her legacy the Katharine Matthies Foundation, established following her death in 1987. Since 1995, the house has been the headquarters of the Seymour Historical Society.

Edmond Town Hall, Newtown (1930)

Dedicated in 1930, Newtown’s Edmond Town Hall is a multipurpose building which, in addition to town offices, has a banquet hall, gymnasium, meeting rooms and even a movie theater, the only $2 movie theater in Connecticut. The building was the gift of Mary Elizabeth Hawley and was named after her maternal great grandfather, Judge William Edmond. Miss Hawley also donated the town’s Cyrenius H. Booth Library. Both the library and the town hall were designed by achitect Philip Sutherland.