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.
The Hose and Hook and Ladder Truck Building in Thomaston, also known as the Thomaston Firehouse, was built on Main Street in 1882-1883. Using brick produced by the Seth Thomas family brickyard nearby, it was designed by architect Robert Wakeman Hill, who also made the plans for the Thomaston Town Hall and Opera House built next door in 1884. The firehouse was designed to accommodate two separate volunteer companies, Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 and Hose Company No. 2, and therefore had two separate entrances, two stairways and two social rooms. The Firehouse continued in use until 1979, when a new firehouse was built in town. Still owned by the town, the building’s interior was remodeled and it served as a teen center for a time.
After staying at the Yankee Pedlar Inn in Torrington while he was filming The House of the Devil (2009), horror film director Ti West heard some of the ghost stories associated with the historic hotel. He was inspired to make an independent movie filmed at and revolving around the inn. Called The Innkeepers, it opened in theaters last week.
The Yankee Pedlar Inn opened in 1891 on the corner Main Street and Maiden Lane in Torrington. Originally known as the Conley Inn, it was built by an Irish immigrant named Frank Conley and his wife Alice. Designed by architect Robert Wakeman Hill, the four-story building was constructed of pallet brick, trimmed with Vermont Marble. Known for its comfort and elegance, the hotel became a popular and successful establishment. The Conleys managed the hotel until they died in 1910 and their niece, Mary Tryon, sold it two years later. It then passed through various owners and was expanded in 1918-1920. In 1940, the Yankee Pedlar restaurant and bar was added and entire hotel became known as the Yankee Pedlar Inn in 1956. (more…)
The Colonial Revival house at 92 Prospect Street in Waterbury was built around 1917 for Martha (b. 1863) and Helen (b. 1878) Driggs, daughters of Theodore Driggs, president of the American Pin Company. The architects were Murphy & Dana of New York.
The house at 1 Farmingbury Road, facing the Green in Wolcott, was built in 1797 for Darius Wiard, who only lived there until 1803. The house is notable for having a surprisingly ornate doorway and pediment for a one-story Cape Cod-type house.
The original Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church in Waterbury, founded primarily by Ukrainian and Russian immigrants, was built in 1906-1908 on Crown Street. In 1968, the parish purchased 12 acres of land on North Main Street for the future site of a new church. Work began in 1972 and the cornerstone of the Crown Street church was transferred to the newly completed Nativity of the Holy Virgin Mary Church in 1974. Adjacent to the church, a new rectory was built in 1975 and the new Saint Mary’s Orthodox Center in 1980-1981.
Update 2/15/2021: As per the comment below, this building has been demolished: Demolition begins at St. Mary’s Russian Orthodox Church in Waterbury // WITH VIDEO | Republican American Archives (rep-am.com)
Off Route 4 in Burlington is a house built on a tract of land soon after its purchase by John Wiard, Jr. (1720-1788) in 1754. It was later passed to his son, Seth Wiard and then to Seth Wiard, Jr. The house is notable for having many well preserved eighteenth-century exterior and interior details, as well as Federal-style interior alterations made about 1810. Now set back from the road, the house’s front driveway, parallel to Route 4, marks the road’s original location, before it was moved to the south.
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