Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Colonial Revival

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.

Old Saybrook Town Hall (1936)

Old Saybrook Main Street School, now the Town Hall

Old Saybrook‘s Main Street School was built in 1936. In 1999, voters approved a referendum to convert it to serve as the new town hall. At the same time, restoration of the former town hall of 1911 was also approved and it has been restored as the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center.

Waterbury Y.M.C.A. (1924)

A Young Men’s Christian Association was established in Waterbury in 1858. Association activities dwindled by the late 1870s, but the organization was revived in 1883 and officially incorporated in 1889, making it the oldest YMCA in Connecticut. The YMCA‘s rented space soon became inadequate and a new building was constructed on West Main Street in 1892-1893. It occupied part of what had been the land of Philo Brown, who had a house designed by Henry Austin. Philo Brown was head of the Brown and Brothers brass company. The first YMCA building was replaced in 1924 by the current Georgian Revival structure, designed by Richard Dana. The building was expanded with a new modern wing in 1971.