Gothic

Harkness Memorial Tower (1917)

The most recognizable structure at Yale University is the Harkness Memorial Tower. Designed by James Gamble Rogers, with ornamentation by the sculptor, Lee Lawrie, the Gothic-style tower has long stood as a symbol for Yale. It was constructed between 1917 and 1921 and was donated by Anna M. Harkness in honor of her deceased son, Charles William Harkness, Yale class of 1883. Rodgers, who designed many buildings at Yale in the Collegiate Gothic style, was also the architect for the Harkness family. He said the design for the Tower was inspired by the 15th-century tower of “Boston Stump,” the parish church of Saint Botolph in Boston, England. Apparently, the often told story that Harkness Tower was once the tallest freestanding stone structure in the world is a myth. Inside, the Tower contains the Yale Memorial Carillon, which was originally installed in 1922 and expanded in 1964. It is played by Yale University Guild of Carillonneurs.

Griswoldville Chapel (1872)

Griswoldville is a section of Wethersfield. In the nineteenth century, when the weather was bad, residents of the area often had to contend with a difficult journey to reach First Church for Sunday services. In 1872, a chapel and Sunday school building was constructed to serve Griswoldville. Men and oxen hauled the stones used for the foundation from Cromwell. In 1880, a Ladies Chapel Society was founded, which supported the chapel by holding various events to raise money.

UCONN School of Law (1926)

Originally the campus of the Hartford Seminary, the Collegiate Gothic-style buildings of the University of Connecticut’s School of Law are located along Fern Street and Girard Avenue in Hartford. The land was purchased by the Seminary in 1913 and the original buildings were constructed in 1922-1926, designed by the firm of Allen & Collens, architects of New York’s Riverside Church. In 1978, the state authorized $6 million for the Law School, founded in 1921, to purchase and renovate the campus. The Seminary moved to a new adjacent building and the Law School occupied the old campus in 1984. In 1996 a new library was constructed on the campus, which has recently been revealed to have significant structural problems.

George H. Seyms House (1880)

The High Victorian Gothic-style George H. Seyms House, on Collins Street in Hartford, is attributed to the architect George Keller. George H. Seyms (1849-1915) was Chemist of the Hartford Steam Boiler Insurance and Inspection Company. The house was damaged by fire in December of 2002.

The J.S. Ely House (1850)

The J.S. Ely House, on Broadway in Norwich, was built around 1850 for the owner of Ely & Company, a dry goods store. The house is in the Gothic Revival style and has a prominent gable featuring a quatrefoil window.

Commodore Charles Green House (1851)

The Commodore Charles Green House, designed by the important architect A.J. Davis is an excellent example of the Gothic Revival style. Built in 1851 on Main Street in South Windsor, it was the home of Commodore Green, a naval officer who captured a Confederate blockade runner during the Civil War. (more…)

New Haven City Hall (1861)

Located on Church Street, across from the Green, New Haven’s City Hall was one of America’s earliest High Victorian Gothic buildings. It was designed by Henry Austin and was completed in 1861, with the addition of a similar brownstone county court house building on the north side in 1871, designed by David R. Brown. The City Hall‘s clock tower was later removed, creating a truncated appearance, but the building was restored in 1976 with a rebuilt clock tower. More recently, after many years of considering alternatives for a new government center, the rear and north portions of the original building were demolished and replaced with new additions, while the front portion was maintained.