Holy Advent Episcopal Church (1876)

Before building a church, Anglicans in Clinton meet at the Academy Building for worship. They formed an Episcopal Society in 1873 and constructed Holy Advent Episcopal Church, at 81 East Main Street, in 1876. The first public worship in the church was on the first Sunday of Advent, 1876 and opening services were on April 18, 1877. The building was consecrated on July 8, 1880, after indebtedness for the church had been paid. The church was recently restored (pdf). The exterior, which had been covered with wood shingles and painted brown, was restored to its original board-and-batten siding, painted white.

Sacred Heart Church, New Britain (1904)

Polish immigrants in New Britain first formed a congregation in 1894 as a mission of St. Stanislaus parish in Meriden. The new parish in New Britain was established the following year. Originally named St. Casimir the King, its name was changed in 1896 to the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish. The first church was built on Orange Street in 1896. The current church, at 158 Broad Street, was designed by architect George P. B. Alderman of Holyoke. It was built in 1903-1904.

Wolcott Congregational Church (1842)

The first meetinghouse of the Wolcott Congregational Church was built in 1773 on “Benson’s Hill” in Farmingbury, where Farmington and Waterbury then met. It is now the location of Wolcott Green. Farmingbury became the Town of Wolcott in 1796. The current church was constructed in 1841-1842 on the site of the earlier meetinghouse, which burned down in 1839. Brick additions were made to the church in the 1930s and a parish house was attached around 1950.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Hartford (1917)

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, at Ely and Winthrop Streets in Hartford, was erected by a congregation of German immigrants who first organized in 1872. The church began with a basement chapel, designed by Michael O’Danahue and completed in 1893. The Gothic structure with yellow brick facade was completed by architect George A. Zunner, Sr. and was dedicated in 1917. Today, the church has a primarily Puerto Rican congregation.

St. Justin Catholic Church (1933)

In 1914, Father Francis P. Nolan built a house in the Blue Hills section of Hartford. In 1924, he was named founding pastor of St. Justin Parish. Fr. Nolan, who had a degree from Yale’s Sheffield Scientific School and had worked as a civil engineer, was much involved in planning the new church with architects Whiton & McMahon. Built in 1931-1933, the church is an Art Deco structure and has Art Deco ornamentation in the interior as well. (more…)

Plantsville Congregational Church (1866)

Members of the Southington Congregational Church met in 1863 to form a new congregation in the Plantsville section of town. The Plantsville Congregational Church was built at 99 Church Street in 1866. An excellent example of the Gothic Revival style, it was designed by J. Cleveland Cady, a nationally prominent architect. An 1868 book entitled The Architects’ and Builders’ Guide: An Elaborate Description of all the Public, Commercial, Philanthropic, Literary, & Ecclesiastical Buildings Already Constructed, and About to be Erected Next Spring in New York and its Environs, with their Cost Respectively, and the Names of the Architects and Builders, by John W. Kennion, contains the following description of “The New Congregational Church at Plantsville, Conn.,”

This building, designed by Mr. J. C. Cady, Architect of New York, is of the Gothic style, adapted carefully to the wants of the congregation. It is completely free from all shams and make-believes. The interior wood-work is of chestnut and black walnut, (except the framings of the open timber roof, which is of pine,) all waxed or oiled, showing the natural and beautiful grain of the wood. The walls are colored in flat tint, the ceiling a deep blue, and the side walls a delicate harmonious neutral. The windows are filled with stained glass of quiet and pleasing tones. Back of the pulpit, is a large arched opening, richly moulded, which is the frame of the apse, or semi-circular alcove, in which are the clergymen’s seats. Two large dormer windows in the roof, one either side of the pulpit, contribute greatly to the light and cheerfulness of that portion of the church—the light falling down upon the pulpit and the people, and not being directly in the eyes of the congregation, as is the case where there are windows back of the pulpit. It is capable of seating about five hundred worshipers, all of whom can see the speaker, hear him as easily as in an ordinary room, and enjoy good ventilation. The exterior of the church is quite picturesque, with graceful tower and spire, capacious porches, gables, &c., all harmonizing with the situation and expressive of their various purposes.

United Churches of Durham (1847)

Happy Easter!!! The original meeting house of Durham’s Congregational church stood on the northeast corner of the town Green from 1736 to 1835. When it was decided to replace the old building, there was a struggle in town between those to the south, who wanted the new church to be built near the Green, and those to the north, who wanted it to be built north of Allyn Brook. It was eventually built near the Green, but those living south of Allyn Brook made a larger contribution to its construction. On Thanksgiving Day, 1844, the new building burned down (a suspected case of arson). Those on the north side now succeeded in having the new church built on their side of the brook while south siders paid nothing and were even compensated for their expense for the previous building. The new North Congregational Church was dedicated in June, 1847, but the dispute was not over: that same year 67 members left the church and formed a separate South Congregational Church. The two congregations united again in 1886 and the South Church became Durham’s Town Hall. In 1941 the Congregational and Methodist Churches joined to form the United Churches of Durham.