Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Churches

St. Michael Church, Beacon Falls (1942)

St. Michael Catholic Church in Beacon Falls began in 1885 as a mission of St. Augustine Church in Seymour and became a parish in 1924. The first St. Michael’s Church in Beacon Falls, erected at the corner of Church and Main Streets, was dedicated on March 11, 1900. The property was sold to the state of Connecticut for highway construction and the cornerstone of the current church was blessed on October 12, 1941. The church’s first Mass was celebrated on on June 26, 1942. The interior remained unfinished for many years due to wartime austerity, but the completed church was eventually dedicated on June 24, 1956.

St. Casimir Church, Terryville (1907)

Polish immigrants settled in Terryville in significant numbers in the 1890s. At first they worshiped at Immaculate Conception Church, but in December 1900 the St. Casimir Society, a Polish fraternal organization, was formed and soon purchased land for a Polish Catholic church on Allen Street in Terryville. St. Casimir Church, 17 Allen Street, was dedicated on September 1, 1907. Since 1999 the two parishes of Immaculate Conception and Saint Casimir have been linked.

St. Anthony Church, Prospect (1962)

In 1936 a mission of St. Mary’s Parish, Union City was established in Prospect. St. Anthony Chapel, on Route 69, was dedicated in 1939. The mission became a St. Anthony Parish in 1943 and on October 20, 1962 a new St. Anthony Church was dedicated at 4 Union City Road.

Grace Baptist Church, Bristol (1957)

Grace Baptist Church in Bristol was founded in 1888 and was originally known as the Swedish Baptist Church. The name was later changed when its parishioners began to include many who were not of Swedish descent. The church was located on Goodwin Street until 1942 when it moved into a converted residence at 38 Prospect Place. Outgrowing the building, a new church was built at the corner of King Street and Louisiana Avenue, completed in 1957. (For more info, see: “Baptist Church Launches $40,000 Building Drive,” Hartford Courant, February 5, 1955).

St. Paul Catholic Church, Kensington (1914)

To serve the Irish community in Kensington (in Berlin), Father Luke Daly of New Britain acquired land on Main Street for a church in 1873. Construction began in October of 1878 and the unfinished church was dedicated in May 1879. St. Paul’s became a full parish two years later. A suspicious fire destroyed St. Paul Church on March 5, 1913. Construction soon began on the current church, at Alling and Peck Streets. The cornerstone was blessed on November 2, 1913 and the church was dedicated on May 24, 1914. According to the Hartford Courant (“Bishop Dedicates Kensington Church,” March 25, 1814):

The edifice itself was built of red brick with Kentucky limestone cornices. The roof is Spanish tile. The architecture is English Gothic with a hint of Spanish mission in the tower. There are three porticos.

Christ Episcopal Church, Bethany (1810)

The Episcopal church in Bethany began in 1785 as a mission of Trinity Church in New Haven. Organized as a legal society in 1799, the new Christ Church parish erected the church building at 526 Amity Road in 1809. Designed by David Hoadley, Christ Church was consecrated in 1810. (more…)

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Oxford (1835)

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Oxford was founded in 1764. The parish’s first church was erected in 1767 on land on Governor’s Hill Road purchased from Joseph Davis. The church was not consecrated until 1816. In 1834 the parish decided to erect a new church, which was presumably completed the following year. The church was enlarged and redecorated in 1878. A new parish hall, connected to the church, was built in 1963. (more…)