Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Bristol

Asa Bartholomew House (1760)

The house at 529 Jerome Avenue in Bristol was built in 1760 by William Jerome. In 1807, it was purchased by Asa Bartholomew.

Benjamin Ray House (1790)

According to Bristol Historic Homes (2005), the house at 67 Maple Street in Bristol was built around 1790 and was the home of clockmaker Benjamin Ray, who owned the Ives Eureka Shop on North Main Street. If the house dates back to 1790, then its Greek Revival front facade is a later (early nineteenth century) addition. According to Federal Hill, A Series of Walking Tours of the Federal Hill Neighborhood and of Other Areas of Interest in Bristol, Connecticut (1985), the house was used as a store by Samuel Smith to sell the clocks he made with his partner, Chauncey Boardman. The rear of the house was altered in 1874 by Benjamin Lewis.

Mitchell Block, Bristol (1870)

The Mitchell Block, on Main Street in Bristol, was built around 1870. It’s a fine example of decorative brickwork used on a commercial block.

St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church (1956)

Merry Christmas from Historic Buildings of Connecticut! St. Stanislaus Parish in Bristol was founded in 1919 as a Polish-American Roman Catholic parish. A basement church was built on West Street in 1920-1921 and used until 1954, when it was demolished to make way for the current Gothic edifice, dedicated in 1956.

Roberts-Barnes House (1783)

On page 44 of Bristol, Connecticut (“In the Olden Time New Cambridge”) Which Includes Forestville (1907) is a picture of the house at 523 West Street in Bristol. The description reads:

The Daniel Roberts House, on West Street. This is the Oldest House on the street, being built in 1783. Since remodelled (sic) and now known as the Seth Barnes Place.

The following page has an image of the house in 1907, showing how much the house had been altered. Today, it looks much the same and serves as the parsonage of the Bristol Calvary Church.

Lorraine Building (1930)

Built before the 1930s, the commercial building at 176-178 Main Street in Bristol was given a new art deco facade in the 1930s with its new name, Lorraine, prominently displayed. The Lorraine Building is the only art deco building in Bristol’s Main Street Historic District.

Bristol Trust Company (1907)

Walter Percival Crabtree designed the Bristol Trust Company building, now a branch of Webster Bank, which is located at 150 Main Street, on the northeast corner of Main and Riverside Avenue in Bristol. The company was incorporated in 1907, the same year the marble Neoclassical building with monumental brass doors was built. Outside, the building was surrounded by landscaped grounds, while the interior was designed by Mortensen and Holdensen, a Boston firm that created many interiors of public buildings and theaters at the time. The bank was later expanded to the north with the addition of space for a drive-in teller window.