Pavilion Hall in New Preston (in the town of Washington) was built in 1897 (some sources claim 1929) as a community hall for concerts, plays and celebrations. At one time, the building contained a post office and a fire engine was kept inside behind the double doors in front. Today the building is home to the Boys and Girls Club of New Preston and is named for Harry O.Erickson, a beloved community volunteer.
The old Post Office building at 114 West Main Street in New Britain was built in 1910 and was in use until the mid-1970s. The Neoclassical structure was designed by Frank S. Watmaugh of Worcester, Mass.
When Ellington’s Congregational Church burned down in 1914, the town simultaneously lost the selectman’s office, which had been located in the church’s basement since 1867. The town then decided to built a Town Hall, which is located at 55 Main Street. Completed in 1915, it was designed by Ellington-born architect J. Henry McCray. The first floor was used as a school from 1921 to 1949 to help alleviate overcrowding at Center School, located next door. The Town Hall was renovated in 1971.
The fire station of Hartford‘s Engine Company 16 is located at 636 Blue Hills Avenue. Built in 1927, the station was designed by Hartford architects Ebbets and Frid in the Tudor Revival style to blend in with a neighborhood that was, at that time, more residential in character.
The Robert B. Weiss Center at 479 Main Street in Manchester is home to the town’s Human Services Department. The large Colonial and Classical Revival building was built in 1931-1932 as the Manchester Main U.S. Post Office. It was designed under James A. Wetmore, Acting Supervising Architect for the U.S. Treasury Department, and was well planned for a difficult corner site with a substantial slope. The structure was built by the Pieretti Brothers of Centerbrook. The U.S. Postal Service moved from the building in 1991 and the town bought it for use as offices. It was given its current name in 1994 in honor of Robert B. Weiss, who served 23 years as town manager.
The building which now serves as Simsbury’s third Town Hall was built in 1907 as Simsbury High School. The building’s design, by Edward Hapgood of Hartford, is believed to follow that of Homerton College, Cambridge University. When the high school, moved to a new building in the 1960s, the old building became Horace Belden Elementary School. It was renovated in 1993-1994 to become Simsbury Town Hall.
On East Peak in the Hanging Hills in Meriden stands an Castle Craig, an observation tower in Hubbard Park. Dedicated on October 29, 1900, the tower was given to the people of Meriden by Walter Hubbard, president of the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company, who also donated the park that bears his name. Constructed of trap rock, Castle Craig is 32 feet high and its base is 58 feet in circumference. There are different theories as to the inspiration for Castle Craig. Hubbard may have been inspired by a Norman French tower, a Turkish Tower on the Danube, or an ancient fortification (or maybe the 1814 Craigellachie Bridge?) in Craigelachie, Scotland. Castle Craig was rededicated on April 22, 1986 after restoration work was completed. A 90 ft. flag pole was erected near the tower in 1987.
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