National Hall (1873)

National Hall

On the west bank of the Saugatuck River in Westport, at 2 Post Road West, is the National Hall Building. It was built in 1873 to house the First National Bank of Westport, two stores and a meeting hall called National Hall. The building was constructed at a time when the west bank of the river was Westport’s commercial and social hub and it represents the town’s growing prosperity after the Civil War. Horace Staples, a prominent Westport businessman and president of the bank was the driving force behind its construction. Various businesses have used the building over the years, including the Fairfield Furniture store and a luxury hotel, the recently closed Inn at National Hall, where President Bill Clinton once stayed. Today it is home to Vespa Italian Restaurant.

(more…)

169 Bank Street, New London (1890)

169 & 165-167 Bank Street, New London

Next to 165-167 Bank Street (the gray building on the right in the image above) is 169 Bank Street, a brick building on the corner of Bank and Pearl Street. In the mid-nineteenth century this was the site of a market run by Francis Holt. The current building was erected in 1890. It had a store run by W. M Lucy on the first floor with apartments above. The building suffered damage in a fire in 1947.

Adams and Stone’s Blocks (1894)

Adams and Stone's Blocks, Main Street, Winsted

The two adjacent commercial buildings at 418-420 and 424-426 Main Street in Winsted were both built around 1894. The building on the right in the image above (No. 418, Winsted News Co.) was built by Horace O. Adams, who had his construction firm offices on an upper floor and ran a shoe store on the first floor. The building on the left (No. 424, Winsted Pawn & Jewlery) was built by Charles and Lester Stone, house painters, who had their offices in the building. Both buildings also contained residences as well as businesses.

Jabez Bacon Store (1760)

Jabez Bacon Store

Jabez Bacon was one of the wealthiest merchants in Connecticut in the eighteenth century. On Hollow Road in Woodbury, next to where his grand residence still stands, Bacon constructed a gambrel-roofed store around 1760. In the 1830s the house and store were acquired by Daniel Curtiss, a successful businessman and entrepreneur. The store was converted into residence around 1933 by Hobart Upjohn. (more…)

Caulkins Garage (1905)

Caulkins Garage

The building at 489-493 Main Street in Middletown was built in 1905 for the F.L Caulkins Auto Company. Known as the Caulkins Garage, it had an automobile showroom on the first floor with residences above. It was constructed when the company was expanding its automotive business from its quarters across the street, in the 1890 Caulkins & Post Building. The garage building continued to serve its original purpose throughout much of the twentieth century. The building is now home to Luce Restaurant (98 Washington St #1).