Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Towns

Caleb Tefft House (1848)

The Caleb Tefft House is a Greek Revival house at 60 Elm Street in Rockvile (Vernon). The house, built in 1848, is now used for offices.

The Trap Falls School is a former one-room schoolhouse located at the Shelton History Center complex. Built in 1872, it originally stood at the corner of Huntington Street and Trap Fall Road in Shelton. It was later acquired by the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company, which constructed the nearby Trap Falls Reservoir and used the school building as a storage shed. The company donated it to the Shelton Historical Society in 1971.

Nathan Gould House (1856)

At the intersection of Barnum Avenue and Harriet Street in Bridgeport is an Octagon house, built around 1856. The structure has the gravel wall with stuccoed exterior typical of this type of house, popularized in the 1850s by Orson Squire Fowler. Traditionally considered to have been built by P.T. Barnum, the house was actually built by Nathan Gould.

George W. Fuller House (1875)

At 96 Webster Street in Hartford is a house in the Italian Villa style with a prominent Second Empire-style Mansard-roofed tower. The house, which has been significantly enlarged, has lost most of its original detailing and has unattractive modern siding, but still has a commanding presence. It was built around 1875 for George W. Fuller, who had a store that sold trunks and luggage.

37 New Place Street, Wallingford (1857)

One of two octagon houses on New Place Street in Yalesville in Wallingford is located at no. 37 (the other is at No. 31). The house was built about 1857. (more…)

45-51 Pratt Street, Hartford (1919)

The commercial building at 45-51 Pratt Street in Hartford was designed by Isaac A. Allen, Jr. Built in 1919, it is notable for its fanciful Gothic detailing, rendered in white terra-cotta. The building also clearly displays its modern use of structural steel allowing large areas of glass. The first floor detailing was later obscured by alterations to the building, but was restored in more recent years.

St. Peter Church, Torrington (1928)

St. Peter parish in Torrington was formed in 1907, when Bishop Michael A. Tierney named Father Joachim C. Martinez as pastor to the city’s Italian immigrants. Beginning in a basement chapel on Center Street, the parish later faced closure, but a parish committee successfully appealed for the restoration of a permanent pastor in 1914. The parish then expanded, building a new church at 107 East Main Street in 1927-1928 and opening a parish school in 1956, which combined with St. Francis School in 2005.