Westbrook-Gengras Cottage (1928)

The substantial waterfront summer cottage at 20 Nibang Avenue in the Borough of Fenwick in Old Saybrook was built on a lot acquired in 1928 by Frances Dunham Westbrook and her husband, Stillman Westbrook, Sr. (1888-1943), a senior vice-president at the Aetna Life Insurance Company who oversaw the construction of the Aetna Building on Farmington Avenue in Hartford. He was also the first chairman of the Hartford Housing Authority and Westbrook Village, a housing project that is currently being redeveloped, was named in his honor. In 1948, the cottage was acquired and remodeled by E. Clayton Gengras (1908-1983), who also acquired the Riversea Inn and other properties in the borough. Gengras founded Gengras Motor Cars, which he developed into one of the largest car dealerships in the nation. In recent years, the house has had new owners. You can read more about the cottage in Marion Hepburn Grant’s The Fenwick Story (Connecticut Historical Society, 1974), pages 58-61.

Benjamin Case House (1884)

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The large Victorian-era house at 270 Cherry Brook Road in Canton was built c. 1884-1888 for Benjamin Case, a banker who in 1872 was one of the founders of the Canton Trust Company in Collinsville. The company, which closed its doors in 1916, had a building in Collinsville, built in 1904 and torn down in the 1960s. Many members of the Case family built homes and had farms in the Canton Center Area. Benjamin Case owned Maplewood Farm and was an incorporator of the Canton Creamery. Case was also a founder of Canton’s first telephone company. The house’s chestnut paneled study was used as the switchboard room. The house, with its eighteen rooms, was remodeled by Case’s daughter Ruby into three apartments in 1945.

Miss Porter’s School Studio (1885)

In 1885, alumnae of Miss Porter’s School in Farmington erected the building at 5 Mountain Road as a tribute to the school’s founder, Miss Sarah Porter. Called the Studio, the Richardsonian Romanesque and Shingle-style building originally contained rooms for drawing, painting and music (It has been used for other purposes over the years). The former students had raised $6,000 through subscription to fund the building, which was dedicated on May 29, 1885. Near the entrance is a dedication plaque with an inscription in Latin honoring Miss Sarah Porter.

Harriet Arnold House (1909)

The construction of the craftsman-style shingled bungalow at 20 Cove Street in Noank is described in an article in The Day (of New London) from July 2, 1909:

George MacDonald may well be proud of the general appearance of the cottage which he has recently built for Mrs. Harriet Arnold of New York city. The location is one of the finest in the village, being situated on the shore of the west cove and commanding a view of Fishers Island sound. The cottage although not thatched is of the bungalow plan and contains six large rooms, besides butler’s pantry and baths and covers quite a space of ground. The broad piazza will be a source of much comfort and convenience. The interior is finished in hard wood and the open rafters add to the attractiveness. The open fire place and outside chimneys, built of cobblestones, are also pleasing features. The cottage is equipped with all the improvements and the grounds although not extensive are among the finest in town. Freeman Rogers had the contract for decorating the interior. Mrs. Arnold and family are expected to arrive as soon as all work is finished.

Frankenstein-Hemphill House (1887)

 

 

In 2013, local Pawcatuck teen Connor Beverly wrote a book entitled On the Corner of William and West Broad: A True Example of Aristocracy in Pawcatuck. It details the history of the house at 140 West Broad Street, which was built in 1887 and was in the Eastlake style. Beverly was inspired to write the book by a package of letters and photo negatives he purchased on eBay. They were formerly the property of Sally Frankenstein, a young girl who lived in the house. Later owned by the Hemphill family, who sold it in the early 1970s, the house was restored in the 1980s and was for some years the Sage House Bed and Breakfast.

Update: As noted in the comment below, the house was built based on a mail order design by Michigan architect D. S. Hopkins. It is very similar to the house by Hopkins in the illustration below:  

First Church of Christ Scientist, Mystic (1820)

Originally erected as a house, the building at 5 Gravel Street in Mystic has been the First Church of Christ Scientist since 1914. Various dates can be found for the construction of the original house. The church’s website states that it was built in 1782 by Josiah Kemp. The brochure “a Mystic Riverside Walking Adventure” indicates that the house was built by Capt. George Wolfe between 1815 and 1827. In the latter year, it was sold to his brother-in-law, Capt. William Kemp (1795-1840), who commanded sloops and schooners. The nomination for the Mystic River Historic District gives a date of 1820. Work began in 1918 to transform the building into a church and it was dedicated on August 30, 1919. A Sunday School and Child Care room were added in June 1962 and in 1975 the original dirt cellar, on the street level of the building, was converted into a Reading Room.

All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Ivoryton (1905)

All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Ivoryton was founded in 1895 as St. Mary’s Church, which met in various places, including private homes, until a church was erected at 129 Main Street. Land for the church was given in 1904 to the Missionary Society of the Diocese of Connecticut by Isabell J. Doane, daughter of Marsena Whiting Comstock of Comstock, Cheney & Company. The cornerstone was laid in 1905 and the church was consecrated on January 7, 1906. A parish hall was added to the church in 1948 and the neighboring house was acquired as a vicarage in 1959. The house was built in 1886 by William Griffith and his wife Lillian, another daughter of Marsena Whiting Comstock.