Meriden Main Post Office (1909)

The United States Post Office at 89 North Colony Street in Meriden, which has a dressed limestone facade embellished with classical ornamentation, is a notable example of Beaux Arts architecture. It was built by by James Knox Taylor, who was Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury from 1897 to 1912. Also known as the Meriden Main Post Office, the building was designed in 1907 by and was constructed in 1909 as one of only twelve post offices built that year by the U.S. Government. An addition to the post office, designed under the supervision of James A. Wetmore, Acting Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury, was completed in 1932.

Bridgeport City Hall (1916)

Bridgeport‘s current City Hall, at 45 Lyon Terrace, was built in 1914-1916 as Bridgeport Central High School. Designed by James Gamble Rogers, the Neoclassical structure replaced the previous High School building (built in 1882) on nearby Congress Street, which continued to serve as a High School annex until it burned down in 1948. A new Central High School opened in 1964 and the former school building became City Hall, which relocated from the old City Hall of 1854. (more…)

Middletown Alms House (1814)

The building at 53 Warwick Street in Middletown was built in 1814 to house the town’s poor. The Alms House was used as a poorhouse until the Town Farm opened on Silver Street in 1853. A number of businesses and organizations have since used the building, starting with the Hubbard and Curtis Hardware Company, and later including the Middletown Fire Arms and Specialty Company, the Middletown Rifle Club and the C.B. Stone Oil Company. The building once had a classical cupola on the roof and a central pavilion with a projecting gable roof (both were later removed, but the pavilion has been restored). It is now owned by by Lee Godburn, who has a hair salon in the building.

Old North Cemetery Office, Hartford (1890)

Established in 1807, Hartford‘s Old North Cemetery (pdf) contains the graves of such notables as Frederick Law Olmsted (Sr. and Jr.), Daniel Wadsworth, Horace Bushnell, Dr. Mason Cogswell (father of Alice Cogswell) and Mary Beecher Perkins (sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe and grandmother of Charlotte Perkins Gilman). It is also the final resting place of African-American soldiers of the 29th Colored Volunteer Regiment from the Civil War. The long-neglected cemetery is in a bad state of repair, but is now undergoing renovation. The cemetery has a Queen Anne-style brick office building, which resembles a tiny Victorian house. (more…)

Waterbury City Hall (1915)

Waterbury’s first City Hall, located on West Main Street and facing the Green, was destroyed by fire in 1912. The current City Hall, on Grand Street, was begun in July 1914 and opened in 1915. Called the Waterbury Municipal Building, it was unusual in its time for containing not just the mayor and city council, but the Police and Fire Departments as well. It was designed by the famous architect Cass Gilbert of New York, who won a design competition for the proposed structure in 1913. After winning the competition, Gilbert wanted to switch from his original plans for a brick and marble building to one with an all marble facade. Although this request was denied by the city, Gilbert had another opportunity when he designed the Chase Brass & Copper Company Building (across the street) for Henry S. Chase in 1917. The Chase family had also helped to fund the City Hall. In later years, the building‘s maintenance was neglected and it was officially condemned in 2006. Local citizens rallied to save the historic building from demolition. Rehabilitation plans were drawn up and voters approved a bond issue to fund the restoration work, which was carried out in 2009-2010. City Hall was rededicated on January 1, 2011.

Hose and Hook and Ladder Truck Building, Thomaston (1882)

The Hose and Hook and Ladder Truck Building in Thomaston, also known as the Thomaston Firehouse, was built on Main Street in 1882-1883. Using brick produced by the Seth Thomas family brickyard nearby, it was designed by architect Robert Wakeman Hill, who also made the plans for the Thomaston Town Hall and Opera House built next door in 1884. The firehouse was designed to accommodate two separate volunteer companies, Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 and Hose Company No. 2, and therefore had two separate entrances, two stairways and two social rooms. The Firehouse continued in use until 1979, when a new firehouse was built in town. Still owned by the town, the building’s interior was remodeled and it served as a teen center for a time.