Lewtan Building (1860)

Today is the Fifth Anniversary of Historic Buildings of Connecticut!

At 28 High Street in Hartford is the Gothic and Romanesque Revival Batterson Block, now called the Lewtan Building. It was closely linked to a much larger Batterson Building, now lost, that stood next door and was later the Garde Hotel. It was built around 1860 by James G. Batterson, who ran a quarrying business called the New England Granite Company. Batterson, who is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, founded Travelers Insurance Company in 1863.

580-584 Kossuth Street, Bridgeport (1889)

James Spargo was a Bridgeport housing contractor. In 1889 he built row houses at 580-4 Kossuth Street in East Bridgeport which are interesting for their combination of Queen Anne and Richadsonian Romanesque architectural features. One of the original residents of one of these houses was Rev. Henry M. Sherman, who had been rector of Calvary Church in Colchester and Trinity Church in Torrington, the latter from 1876 to 1890.

Moosup United Methodist Church (1872)

The Moosup United Methodist Church is at 13 South Main Street in Plainfield. As related in the Plainfield Bicentennial, A Souvenir Volume (1899):

The Methodist Episcopal Church in Plainfield began its history in 1825, when it was included in the Norwich circuit, though, before 1800, preachers were sent here and occasional services were held. At first, the church met in the old Separate meeting-house on the corner near Evergreen cemetery for occasional services […] [A revival occurred in 1843 and] That same year they purchased of the Separatists, or their successors, the old meeting-house which had been removed to Union Village. A new church was built in 1871, a little further up the river and was dedicated, February 1, 1872.

As related in Vol II of the Souvenir history of the New England Southern Conference (1897):

The church in which the people now worship is in the very centre of the village, and pleasantly situated. It was built in 1870 by the arduous labors of Rev. Lewis E. Dunham, and marked a new era in the prosperity of the society. In 1882, during the pastorate of E. J. Ayres, the building was raised, and a vestry provided in the basement. The interior of the church has recently (1896) been thoroughly repaired, a steel ceiling and chancel introduced, making it a most attractive and inviting place of worship. The parsonage, one of the most convenient and commodious, stands on the lot adjoining the church. It was built during the pastorate of the Rev. W. W. Ellis of sainted memory.

The church was completely remodeled and rededicated in 1908.

Judd & Root Building (1883)

Henry C. Judd and Judson H. Root were successful wool merchants in the later nineteenth century. The firm of Judd & Root, formed in 1869, built an office building at 179 Allyn Street in Hartford in 1883. The architects were Francis H. Kimball and Thomas Wisedell, who also designed the Goodwin Building in Hartford. Unlike that earlier Queen Anne structure, the Judd & Root Building was constructed in the Romanesque Revival style, although both buildings feature terra-cotta decoration on the upper floors. The Judd & Root Building also has a brick Renaissance Revival-style arcade on the first floor, where retail shops were located. It became known as Professional Building in the 1920s, when the ground floor housed a pharmacy and a surgical supply company and over 50 physicians and surgeons had offices above. The building was restored around 2001. (more…)

Thomaston Opera House (1884)

The Thomaston Opera House was built in 1884 by the town of Thomaston as a multi-purpose building to serve as both town hall and theater. The stylistically eclectic structure was designed by architect Robert Hill. Granite for the building came from the Plymouth Granite Quarry in town and the bricks were made at the Seth Thomas Brick Factory. In the 1930s, the Opera House became a movie theater, but was little used in later years until eventually the building was closed for fire code violations in 1963. The Thomaston Opera House Commission worked to raise money to save the condemned landmark building from demolition. It was restored and rededicated in 1968. In recent years, the nonprofit group running the Opera House fell into debt and operations ceased in 2010. As of 2012, the Opera House will reopen under the management of the Landmark Community Theater Company.

Former Methodist Church, Rockville (1867)

The building at 26 Park Place in Rockville in Vernon, which now serves as a Senior Center, was originally dedicated in 1867 as a Methodist Episcopal Church. As related in William T. Cogswell’s History of Rockville (1872):

During the years from 1850 to 1860, the Methodist[s] built a comfortable meetinghouse in West street. This house took fire and burned on a Sabbath morning. The German Lutheran Church was a Baptist Church till after the Methodist Church burned. It was bought and occupied by the Methodist society up to the time of building the present Methodist Episcopal Church.

According to A Century of Vernon, Connecticut, 1808-1908, published in 1911:

The first service in the vestry of the new church was held on June 16, 1867. It was a love feast. The bell was raised to its place in the tower June 28, 1867. The vestry was inadequate to accommodate the congregations and the audience room of the church was dedicated on Tuesday, November 26, 1867, Bishop Simpson preaching the sermon.

The church was built in what was then a rapidly developing commercial area and the first floor originally contained the People’s Savings Bank. As further related in A Century of Vernon:

From the time that Messrs. White and Corbin took the front basement rooms of the church, long used as banks, it was the intention of those gentlemen that this property should revert to the trustees of the church. When Cyrus White died this had not been attended to and Lewis A. Corbin bought the banks. The subject was frequently mentioned by pastors and others, but it was not until the pastorate of Rev. W. J. Yates that it was definitely arranged. Then Mr. Corbin executed deeds which are duly recorded, conveying the banks to the trustees. He reserved the income during his life. Then a portion was reserved for a fund for contingencies, but at last all the income goes to the trustees. Certain annual contributions to benevolent interests are provided for and the balance may be used for the current expenses of the church.

The former church no longer has its original two steeples.