Armsmear (1857)

armsmear.JPG

Built in 1857 on Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford for Samuel Colt, Armsmear has been called “the grandest residence in the Hartford of its day.” Often attributed to the architect Octavius Jordan, it is an elaborate Italian Villa. It has been much altered from its original opulence, having lost such features as an ornate dome with an ogee shape, similar to that on the Colt Armory in Hartford. Also lost are the glass-domed conservatories, added in 1861-2 and inspired by London’s Crystal Palace. The mansion still features three towers, and Bill Hosley describes, in the Hog River Journal, convincing the director of the Wadsworth Atheneum to approve an exhibition on Colt’s Empire by showing him the view of Coltsville from the Armsmear’s main tower. Hosley describes the tower as “one of the most alluring historic spaces in Connecticut.”

After the death of Elizabeth Colt, the house was altered, according to her will, by Benjamin Wistar Morris to became a residence for the widows of Episcopalian ministers. 140 acres of the Colt estate were also given to the city of Hartford to create Colt Park. Today Armsmear is described as a “51 unit apartment complex for retired single women.”

Morgan Memorial Building, Wadsworth Atheneum (1910)

morgan-memorial.JPG

Around 1900, J. Pierpont Morgan, a native of Hartford, was encouraged by his cousin, Rev. Francis Goodwin, to acquire land adjacent to the Wadsworth Atheneum for the museum to use in a future expansion. Goodwin was then the president of the Atheneum. In 1910, Morgan presented the Morgan Memorial Wing in honor of his father. It was designed by the firm of LaFarge and Morris.

Colt Memorial Building, Wadsworth Atheneum (1906)

wadsworth-atheneum-colt-memorial.JPG

The Colt Memorial, designed by Benjamin Wistar Morris, was constructed in 1906 as part of the Wadsworth Atheneum complex of buildings. It connects the original structure of 1844 to the Morgan Memorial. Like the Church of the Good Shepherd, it was donated by Elizabeth Colt to house the many art objects she had given to the museum. It is in a Gothic style and features diamond paned windows, which match the original Atheneum building’s Gothic Revival style, and a medieval-style oriel window. In front stands a statue of Nathan Hale. It was created by Enoch Woods Smith as a contest entry in the 1880s for a statue to be placed in the State Capitol. It was not selected, but James J. Goodwin, who had commissioned it, later donated it to the museum in 1892.

BTW, this blog is now two months old!

Wadsworth Atheneum (1844)

wadsworthatheneum.JPG

The Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford is America’s oldest public art museum. Begun in 1842, and opening its doors in 1844, the Atheneum‘s original castle-like building was donated by the museum’s founder, Daniel Wadsworth, and was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis and Ithiel Town. In addition to the museum, it also once housed the Connecticut Historical Society, the predecessor to the Hartford Public Library, and the Watkinson Library, all under one roof! Three additional buildings would be added to the Atheneum complex in the twentieth century. In 1966, the interior of the original building was completely gutted and restored, while maintaining the original facade.

Aetna Building (1931)

aetna.JPG

Today’s Aetna, Inc. is the descendant of the Aetna Life Insurance Company, which was incorporated in 1853. In 1931, their corporate headquarters building was constructed on Farmington Avenue in Hartford. Designed by James Gamble Rogers, it is a Colonial Revival building far more monumental than any actually built during the colonial period. In a sense it is like the Old State House on steroids, and shares some stylistic similarities with that historic structure.

Benjamin Bissell House (1694)

benjamin-bissell.JPG

While it today features a Greek Revival appearance, originating in changes made in the nineteenth century, and it was also moved at some point to be above a new cellar, the Benjamin Bissell House actually dates to 1694, making it the oldest house in the East Windsor Hill Historic District. It sits on the original house lot owned by Eltweed Pomeroy and later by John Bissell, who gave it to his son, Thomas Bissell. This lot still stretches between the Connecticut River and Main Street.