Holmes Block (1800)

The building at 2 Wyassup Road in North Stonington was erected c. 1800-1820 as the village store, although it may date to the eighteenth century, when Williams and Rogers had a store here. It was later used by Augustus L. Babcock, a coffin maker. It became known as the Holmes Block in the 1840s. At that time, Wheeler H. Holmes had a confectionery and bakery in the south section (possibly added around that time and later demolished—see below), while his father, David Holmes, had his furniture and undertaking business in the center and north end. Various grocery and general stores have occupied the building over the years and the center and north section were used as a post office from 1893 to 1897, when J.E. Bennett was postmaster. In more recent years, the north section has been the Village Hardware Store. In 1999, the Watermark Cafe opened in the south section. The building is located right next to the Shunock River and severe flooding in March 2010 damaged the south section and the adjacent stone double arch bridge, the latter dating to the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. The part of the building housing the Watermark was torn down on April 13, 2010. [Compare before and after images] The bridge was rebuilt and in 2016 a new Village General Store, Hardware and Cafe reopened in the surviving section of the Holmes Block.