Greek Revival - Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Proctor’s Store (1800)

The building at 357 Main Street South in Woodbury was built sometime in the nineteenth century. Now home to a dental office, it was once the grocery and dry goods store of George N. Proctor, who primarily sold his wares door-to-door. In March 1909, Proctor’s wife disappeared after withdrawing from the bank nearly $1,000 bequeathed to her by a relative. A few hours before her disappearance another resident of town had also vanished: Rev. Charles W. Dane, pastor of the Woodbury Methodist Church. Rev. Dane and Mrs. Proctor’s names had been linked for several months and it was thought they had run off together. Just a week before, Dane’s wife had sued for a divorce, alleging intolerable cruelty. She believed he had been deliberately mistreating her to drive her away so that he could divorce her on the ground of desertion. Mrs. Proctor had arranged to meet the minister in New Britain, but he failed to appear and she went on to New York City alone. Mr. Proctor, who believed the minister had hypnotized his wife to lure her away, soon located her in the city Fifteen years before Proctor had also lost his first wife, who ran off with a clerk from his store.

Timothy Palmer House (1838)

The Greek Revival house at the corner of East Main Street and Mill Plain Road in Branford (current address 270 E Main St; an earlier address was 254 E Main St.) was built by Timothy Palmer (1810-1885) c. 1838, just after his 1837 marriage to Louisa M. Beach. The house remained in the family into the early twentieth century. It is now used as offices.

William E. Weld House (1850)

William E. Weld was a carpenter and builder and ran a lumber business in Guilford for almost fifty years in the nineteenth century. He built many houses in town, including the Albert B Wildman House (1852), the Frederick A. Weld House (built for his brother in 1852) the Benjamin Bradley House (1860) and the Julia Labadie House (1872). Weld built his own house in 1850 at 45 Boston Street.

Dr. Myron Downs House (1842)

The Greek Revival house at 38 Church Street in Roxbury was built in 1842 for Dr. Myron Downs. His life is described in the Proceedings of the Connecticut Medical Society, Vol. IV, No. 1 (1888):

Myron Downs, M.D., was born in the town of Roxbury, Litchfield Co.. Conn., A.D. 1805.

He studied medicine with Dr. Josiah R. Eastman of that town, and graduated from the medical department of Yale College in 1830, and the same year became a member of the Litchfield County Medical Society, which relationship continued to the day of his death.

He practiced his profession a few years in the village of New Preston in the adjoining town of Washington. At the earnest solicitation of Dr. Eastman, who wished to give up his practice, he returned to Roxbury in 1832, and was soon engaged in a laborious country practice in which he continued nearly fifty years. He died in Roxbury, April 7, 1887.

Dr. Downs was a conscientious, faithful, and devoted physician, giving his long life to the practice of his profession regardless of any question of compensation for his services. An old and intimate friend justly said of him: “He seemed to consider the human race as one great family; that his services were due alike to rich and poor; that he would rather die without wealth than to make a demand for payment for services rendered to the poor and unfortunate members of the family.”

He was called upon to fill many important trusts in the community. He was Judge of Probate, Town Treasurer, a representative in the State Legislature, Postmaster, and for over forty years Town Clerk. To all of these offices he gave the same honest faithful service that he rendered by the bedside of his patients.

Dr. Downs was married to Marinda B. Benedict of New Preston. His wife died Oct. G, 1886. He had no children.

Daniel Williams House (1790)

The house at 142 King Street in East Hartford was built c. 1790 by Daniel Williams, who purchased the property around that time. In 1812 the house was inherited by Phineas Williams and had many other owners over the years. In the early nineteenth century the house was altered with Greek Revival design features.

Former Methodist Church, Southbury (1832)

The former Methodist Episcopal Church in South Britain, Southbury, has long been vacant and is in a dilapidated condition. Located at 698 South Britain Road, the simplicity of its design contrasts with the more elaborate Congregational Church directly across the street. The early history of the church is described in the History of Ancient Woodbury, Vol. I (1854) by William Cothren:

The first society of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the present town of Southbury, was organized at the south part of the town, on “George’s Hill,” about the year 1803, and consisted of about six members. They met at that time in a building formerly occupied as a school-house. But, in a few years, it was greatly enlarged, remodeled, and made more convenient and ample in its accommodations.

The society continued to increase in numbers until the church was filled to its utmost capacity. It soon became quite too small to accommodate the worshiping congregation.

In the year 1832, the society erected and dedicated a larger and more convenient house in South Britain. There they worshiped until the year 1851, when the edifice was enlarged and made a neat and elegant house of worship. The society now (1853) numbers about sixty-five communicants, and the church is well filled with a devout worshiping congregation.

Harvey Bronson House (1830)

The house at 974 Southford Road in Southbury was probably built around 1830-1840, but it was adapted to its current Greek Revival form by owner Harvey Bronson. The original front facade was on the south side, but Bronson made the street-facing gable end the new Greek Revival facade, c.1850. A number of Bronsons lived in the vicinity, as described in the History of New Haven County, Vol. II (1892), edited by J. L. Rockey:

Samuel Bronson, who married Elizabeth Tanner in 1735, was the father of the Bronsons of this locality, one of whom, Harvey, had a rope walk. Noah Bronson was a cooper and also a rope maker. His son, Aaron, was a cordwainer and button maker. His son, Harvey, manufactured clock cord extensively for the clock makers of Bristol and Waterbury, and was the last Bronson thus here engaged. Abel W. Bronson, the second son of Aaron, became a well known blacksmith and gimlet maker. A grandson of Aaron, C. W. Bradley, became a well known railroad man in New York.

As mentioned above, Havery Bronson (1795-1876), son of Aaron Bronson, made clock cord. The house was inherited by his son, David Bronson, whose estate sold the house in 1894 to Aaron Thompson.