Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Rockville

Citizens Block, Rockville (1879)

As Rockville in Vernon developed as an urban center in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, known architects were sought to design prominent buildings. S.M. (or S.W.?) Lincoln of Hartford was the architect of the Citizens Block, a commercial building on the corner of Park Place and Elm Street, built in 1879 by John G. Bailey. In recent years, town officials have been seeking ways to revitalize the now dilapidated structure, ranging from sale to a developer to the use of federal funding. The building currently houses the Rockville Downtown Association.

Crosley F. Fitton House (1865)

The Crosley F. Fitton House, built around 1865, is at the corner of Elm and Prospect Streets in Rockville, Vernon. Crosley Fitton, born in England, was brought to the United States at the age of three. As described in Illustrated Popular Biography of Connecticut (1891), he

became a woolen manufacturer, as was his father before him. Twenty-six years ago he came to Rockville, and for twenty-four years he has been the agent of the Rock Manufacturing Company, being the oldest in continuous service of all who have held official connection with the manufacturing establishments of Rockville. As a woolen manufacturer he ranks among the most able in New England, and during his connection with the Rock Company it has enjoyed continued success and prosperity under his management. The mills have been enlarged, the most improved machinery obtained, the force increased, and woolen goods manufactured equal to any produced in the country. Mr. Fitton [d. 1891] was always a hard worker, and often the first man at the mill in the morning and the last to leave at night.

Tower on Fox Hill (1939)

The War Memorial Tower on Fox Hill in Rockville, Vernon, was constructed between 1937 and 1939 as a memorial to Veterans of all wars from the town of Vernon. Before it was built, an earlier tower made of wood had stood on the site. Built by a Mr. Jeffrey of Meriden, it stood from 1878 until it was destroyed in a blizzard in 1880. Visitors were charged 15¢ to climb the tower and use the telescope at the top. The ruined building was not restored, but around 1889 the artist Charles Ethan Porter, Jeffrey’s brother-in-law, was using the surviving first floor as his studio. By 1923, the last remains of the structure had disappeared. The new Memorial Tower, built of stone, was designed by Walter B. Chambers of New York and was modeled after a 1500 year-old Romanesque tower near Poitiers, France. The WPA provided the labor and materials. The Tower is in Henry Park, named for E. Stevens Henry, a merchant and politician, who bequeathed Fox Hill and the surrounding area to the city of Rockville.

33 Grove Street, Rockville (1865)

Built around 1865, the house at 33 Grove Street in Rockville in Vernon is good example of a Gothic Revival cottage. An early resident was Thomas Burt, a millwright. By the turn of the century it was the home of the widow of Patrick H. Kernan, who had operated a meat market. The house’s current front porch is a twentieth century addition.

Arthur T. Bissell House (1880)

Arthur T. Bissell‘s house, at 74 Prospect Street in the Talcott Park neighborhood of Rockville, was built in 1880. Bissell was a businessman who was secretary and treasurer of the Rock Manufacturing Company and followed his father, Lebbeus Bissell, as secretary and treasurer of the Savings Bank of Rockville.

Arbus Block (1893)

Jacob Arbus was a furrier in Rockville. In 1886 he established his own store, doing business at various locations until 1893, when he had a Mansard-roofed building constructed at 74 Union Street to serve as his store and residence. On an 1895 Bird’s-eye view of Rockville, the Arbus Block is listed as “63. Jacob Arbus, Furrier, Hats, Caps and Gents Furnishing Goods.”

Kellogg Lawn (1905)

Kellogg Lawn, 31 Union Street, Rockville

In addition to Maxwell Court, architect Charles A. Platt designed another mansion in Rockville for a member of the Maxwell family. At 31 Union Street is the William and Alice K. Maxwell House, known as Kellogg Lawn. The house was built in 1905-1906 for Francis and William Maxwell‘s mother, Harriet K. Maxwell, widow of George Maxwell. It was built in the center of Rockville, on a site where the house of Harriet’s father, George Kellogg, had once stood. Kellogg was one of Rockville’s pioneering industrialists. Today, the mansion is part of Rockwell General Hospital, serving as an entryway to the hospital.