J. Poliner & Sons (1925)

At 512-528 Main Street in Middletown is a two-story Colonial Revival commercial building with scrubbed terra cotta tiles on the facade. Built in 1925, the building displays the name “J. Poliner & Sons.” Jacob Poliner (d. 1933), an immigrant from Austria, first settled in Hartford and then moved to Middletown, where he established at shoe store at 548 Main Street (at the corner of Ferry Street). A leading member of Adath Israel synagogue, Poliner officiated as cantor in the congregation’s early days and was widely known for his knowledge of the Talmud. One of his five sons was Judge Isreal Poliner, who opened a law office in the Poliner Building in 1928. (more…)

St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, Hartford (1906)

Mentioned in Tour 8 of my new book, A Guide to Historic Hartford, Connecticut (which is now available on Amazon’s Kindle e-reader), is St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, located at 7 Clark Street in Hartford. Originally serving Irish-Americans, St. Michael’s parish was created out of the northern portion of St. Anthony’s parish in 1900. That year, a basement chapel was dedicated, with the upper portion being dedicated in 1906. The Renaissance Revival-style church, designed by Irish American architect John J. Dwyer, today serves a predominantly African American and Latino congregation.

John Turner House (1814)

The John Turner House (also known as the Turner-Stebbins-Chamberlain House) is a brick Federal-style structure at 290 North River Road (at the intersection with Route 44) in Coventry. The house was built around 1812/1814 for John Turner, one of several incorporators of the Coventry Glass Company, which made and sold a variety of bottles and other glass products from c. 1813 to 1848. Turner was later one of the founders of the Ellenville Glass Company in New York state. That company was organized in 1836 by a group of glass makers from Coventry and Willington, Connecticut. Currently under development is the Museum of Connecticut Glass, which has owned the Turner House in Coventry since 1994. The house will contain the museum’s permanent exhibits and offices, while a second building, acquired by the Museum in 2005, will house the institution‘s education and activity facilities.

Edward K. Nicholson House (1915)

The house at 754 Clinton Avenue in Bridgeport was built in 1915 for Edward K. Nicholson. According to the History of Bridgeport and Vicinity, Vol. II (1917):

Edward K. Nicholson, a member of the Bridgeport bar since January, 1900, and practicing since 1912 as a partner in the firm of Banks & Nicholson, entered upon his professional career well equipped by a thorough university training for the responsible duties which he assumed. He was born in Essex, Connecticut, in 1872, a son of the Rev. George W. Nicholson, who in 1894 removed with his family to Bridgeport to accept the pastorate of the First Baptist church […]

After acquiring a thorough preliminary education Edward K. Nicholson entered Yale and completed the academic course by graduation with the class of 1896. Four years later his alma mater conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. In the meantime he took up the study of law and in January, 1900, was admitted to the bar in Fairfield county. He opened an office in Bridgeport and for six months continued alone in practice, at the end of which time he joined Samuel E. Shaw in organizing the firm of Shaw & Nicholson, a relation that was maintained until 1909, after which Mr. Nicholson practiced alone until the present firm of Banks & Nicholson was formed in 1912. In the years of his practice he has been accorded a large and distinctively representative clientage and in the trial of many cases has proven his ability to successfully cope with intricate and involved legal problems. For two years he served as deputy judge of the city court of Bridgeport. In April, 1917, Mr. Nicholson was elected president of the Fairfield County Association for the Mobilization of Resources.

In December, 1900, Mr. Nicholson was married to Miss Mary L. Thomas, of Saratoga Springs, New York, and they have three children, Sylvia T., Edward K. and Miriam E.

Mather Homestead (1840)

The Mather Homestead is a former Greek Revival farmhouse in Hartford’s North End, built sometime between 1835 and 1843. Changes to the house over the years illustrate the many demographic changes that have occurred in the surrounding neighborhood. The house was constructed by William Mather, a prosperous Yankee farmer, and continued as a residence until 1926. The house faces Mahl Avenue (the address is 2 Mahl Avenue), but originally had a Main Street address, because Mahl Avenue was not opened until 1893. At that time, developer Frederick Mahl bought the Mather farm and subdivided it. Starting in 1887, the Mather house was rented by Charles Skinner, an insurance clerk, who bought the house in 1898. In 1916, the Skinner family sold the house to a Jewish family.

Significant structural changes began for the Mather Homestead in 1926, when it was converted for use as a synagogue. The alterations were undertaken by two Orthodox congregations, Teferes Israel and Chevre Kadishe, which had merged in 1926. Both congregations had been founded by Russian immigrants: members of Teferes Israel came from Ludmir (now in Ukraine) and members of Chevre Kadishe from Wolkowysk (now in Belarus). Among other changes, a rounded projection on the east (Main Street) side of the building was added for an ark to hold Torah scrolls. The Mahl Street side of the building originally had a Greek Revival columned porch on the first floor and a second porch was added above it on the second floor in 1926. Known as the Mahl Avenue Shul, Teferes Israel later moved to Bloomfield and, in 1993, merged with Beth David in West Hartford.

In 1954, the building was acquired by an African American Masonic Temple, Excelsior Lodge No. 3. Founded in 1856 by a group of Prince Hall Masons, Excelsior Lodge has included among its members many leaders of Hartford’s black community. For many decades, the exterior was left unaltered, but the columned porches have since been removed and replaced by an enclosed entry addition on the fist-floor.

Robert Schutz House (1907)

Prospect Avenue forms a border between Hartford and West Hartford. My new book, A Guide to Historic Hartford, Connecticut, features some interesting houses on the West Hartford side of the street, including the Robert Schutz House at 1075 Prospect Avenue. Unlike other residences nearby, this house is turned 90 degrees from the street. Built in 1907 and designed by Charles Adams Platt, the house was built for Robert Schutz, president of the Smyth Manufacturing Company, which still makes bookbinding machines today. The house was also the residence of his son, Robert Schutz Jr., who was an architect. As a trustee and president of the Mark Twain Memorial in the 1950s, Robert Schutz Jr. donated objects he found in the attic of this house to what is now the Mark Twain House and Museum.