Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Farmington

Dr. Eli Todd House (1798)

A 1717 farmhouse, on Main Street in Farmington, was purchased in 1798 and enlarged by Dr. Eli Todd. He had been educated at Yale and settled in Farmington to practice medicine, setting up a hospital for patients with smallpox. Later moving to Hartford, he became a pioneer in the field of psychiatry. He was the principal founder of the Connecticut Retreat for the Insane in Hartford, now known as the Institute of Living, and became its first superintendent, serving until his death in 1833. His house in Farmington would have other owners, including Alfred Pope, who bought the house in 1899 and lived here while his new home, Hill-Stead, was being constructed nearby. Pope made additional alterations to the house in the Colonial-Revival style.

Timothy Pitkin House (1788)

Rev. Timothy Pitkin, the son of Governor William Pitkin, was the minister of Farmington’s Congregational Church from 1752 to 1785. During the Revolutionary War, he preached a sermon attended by George Washington. In 1803, he sold his 1788 house on Colton Street in Farmington to his son, Timothy Pitkin, Jr. The younger Pitkin, born in 1766, was a Yale graduate who then studied law with Oliver Wolcott. He went on to become a lawyer in Farmington and entered politics as a Federalist, serving in the Connecticut State Legislature and the US Congress. Pitkin, who died in 1847, was also an important early historian of the United States, writing A Statistical View of the Commerce of the United States of America (1816) and the A Political and Civil History of the United States from 1763 to the Close of Washington’s Administration (1828). The house was sold in 1841 to Dr. Edwin Carrington, who died in 1852 and for whom the adjacent Carrington Lane is named. The house combines elements of the Georgian and Federal styles.

Francis Cowles House (1840)

The Francis Cowles House, built circa 1840 (another source estimates circa 1844 and another circa 1835) on Main Street in Farmington, represents a transition in style from the Greek Revival (the colonnaded front porch) to the Italianate (the low pitched roof with bracketed cornice). A plaque in the building indicates it was built circa 1835 and was acquired for the school by the trustees of Miss Porter’s estate in 1901. (A now defunct website had mistakenly indicated that the house was purchased by Sarah Porter for her school in 1889). The house now serves as a dorm called “Brick“. The house is located on the site of the house where Sarah Porter’s father, the Rev. Noah Porter, was born, in the house of his father, Robert Porter. (Note: post edited 5/28/15 to reflect corrected info).

Farmington Savings Bank (1927)

Founded in 1851, the Farmington Savings Bank moved into its current Main Office, on Main Street in Farmington, after it was completed in 1927. From 1865 to 1927, it had been located in an old store building that once stood in front of the current building. Before that, the bank had been successively located in the homes of its first two treasurers!

Union Hotel, now Miss Porter’s School "Main" (1830)

The Union Hotel was built in 1830 on Main Street in Farmington to serve those who were expected to utilize the nearby Farmington Canal. Two years after the canal failed in 1848, the vacant building was rented by Sarah Porter for her new school for girls. It continues as the “Main” building of Miss Porter’s School. (more…)

Sarah Porter Memorial (1902)

Miss Sarah Porter, born in 1813, was the daughter of Noah Porter, pastor of First Church in Farmington, 1806-1866. In 1843 she founded the school for girls which is associated with her name. After her death, in 1900, former students of Miss Porter’s School contributed money for the building of the Sarah Porter Memorial House. Dedicated in 1902, it serves First Church, which is located just across the Village Green. The building is also used as a community center, hosting other local groups.

Deacon John Hart House (1740)

Across Main Street from First Congregational Church in Farmington is the house built in 1740 for Deacon John Hart. Like a number of other historic buildings on Main Street, the house of John Hart is now owned by Miss Porter’s School.