Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, Hartford (1928)

In 1896, Father Joseph Zebris of St. Andrew Church, New Britain organized the Sons of Lithuania Society in Hartford, offering Mass for the city’s Lithuanian immigrants in a rented room on Sheldon Street. 1900, when the mission filed a report with the diocese of Hartford, is officially regarded as the inaugural year of Holy Trinity Catholic Church. In 1903, the church purchased property on Capitol Avenue which included a two-story brick building which was converted into a place of worship. This brick dwelling was moved to the back of the lot in 1913 to make room for construction of a new church. The cornerstone was blessed on October 10, 1915 and a basement chapel was ready for use by Christmas of that year. The remainder of the church was completed in 1927 and was dedicated on March 18, 1928. (more…)

220 High Street, Hartford (1855)

Across from the Isham-Terry House, which is preserved as a museum in Hartford by Connecticut Landmarks, is another mid-nineteenth century Italianate house. Built around 1855, the house at 220 High Street is not in the best condition today but, together with the Isham-Terry House, it is a reminder of an era when the area around High Street had many middle class residences. The house is attributed to architect William G. Allen. The porch is enclosed and perhaps has been since it was built.

St. Anne-Immaculate Conception Church (1926)

In October 1888, French Canadian Catholics in Hartford gathered to plan for their own ethnic parish in the city. St. Anne parish was established the following year. A wooden church was built in 1892-1893 on the corner of Park and Putnam Streets. A new church later replaced it, dedicated by Bishop John J. Nilan on July 11, 1926. The yellow brick Neo-Classical Revival church with asymmetrical towers was designed by Henry F. Ludorf, who also designed the Polish National Home in Hartford. In 2000, St. Anne parish merged with Immaculate Conception parish.

Cathedral Lyceum (1895)

The Cathedral Lyceum (pdf) in Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood was built in 1895 by the Archdiocese of Hartford for the Cathedral Lyceum Society, a catholic club for young Irish men. Located at 227 Lawrence Street, the Renaissance Revival building, designed by John J. Dwyer, served for many years as a community center for the city’s growing immigrant population. The church sold the building in 1920 to the Hartford Box Company. The structure later served as as the home of the Lithuanian-American Citizens Club. It has since been a restaurant, a dance club, a roller skating business and a balloon manufacturer. In 2003 it was purchased by the Melville Charitable Trust, an organization dedicated to promoting affordable housing, and was renovated to become the Lyceum Conference Center.

Northwest District School, Hartford (1891)

Hartford’s Northwest District School began with just two rooms in 1870 and was later much enlarged, with additions in 1885, 1891, 1899, 1905 and 1910. In 1914, the 1891 section was moved aside to make room for a final addition. This was said to have been the largest relocation of a brick building in New England up to that time. All of the school complex, except for that 1891 section, were demolished in 1978. The surviving building was used as offices by the Hartford Board of Education until 1997 and was then left vacant for many years. It will soon be the home of the John E. Rogers African American Cultural Center, which will serve as a historical and educational institution for research.

Phoenix Insurance Company (1917)

The Phoenix Fire Insurance Company was founded in 1854. From 1873, the company was headquartered in a building on Pearl Street in Hartford designed by H.H. Richardson (and later torn down). In 1917, it moved to a newly completed building at 30 Trinity Street. The Georgian Revival building, designed by Morris & O’Connor, now houses the Connecticut Secretary of the State‘s office. This building is one of the sites featured in Tour 3 in my book, A Guide to Historic Hartford, Connecticut.