Roger Sherman Place (1775)

The house at 247 Main Street South in Woodbury was built circa 1775 and is known as the Roger Sherman Place. This Woodbury Roger Sherman is not the famous Roger Sherman, but probably a relative. The house looks to have been much altered in the Greek Revival style in later years.

Update (8-9-2015): The 1775 portion of the house is actually the ell and the main section was built later, probably c. 1820, when the property was transferred from Matthew Minor, Jr. to Rev. Samuel R. Andrew, pastor of the First Congregational Church from 1817 to 1846.

Infinity Hall (1883)

The building now known as Infinity Hall in Norfolk opened in 1883 as the Norfolk Village Hall. It was designed by an unknown architect, but is similar to buildings in the shingle style by noted architect Stanford White. The building originally served as a cultural center and contained an opera house, general store, barbershop, saloon and several town offices. The theater closed in the 1940s and various retail businesses continued on the first floor until the building was closed in 1994. In 1998, playwrights and theater producers Maura Cavanaugh and Richard Smithies purchased and restored the building as the Greenwoods Theater, which closed in 2007 due to financial difficulties. It opened again under new owners as Infinity Hall, a performing arts theater and restaurant.

Bulkeley School, New London (1873)

The Bulkeley School, the gift of Leonard Hallam Bulkley, was an all-boys high school in New London. It was built in 1871-1873 and continued as a private school until 1951, when New London High School opened. The Bulkeley School then became the New London Junior High School until it finally closed in the 1970s. As explained in A modern History of New London County, Connecticut, Vol. I (1922):

Mr. Bulkeley was a merchant of modest pretensions, whose place of business was very near the school which now bears his name. He was born December 22, 1799, and died December 19, 1849. He left an estate valued at something less than $25,000 to found a secondary school which should be free to boys of New London. In his will he provided that the funds should be kept intact until the trustees, who were named in the will, should decide that they were justified in the erection of the schoolhouse. […]

This official board decided in 1870 that the estate had increased so considerably in its careful management that they were justified in beginning operations. Accordingly, plans were secured from the famous architect, Mr. Eidlitz, and upon a lot presented to them by the city they erected a very substantial and attractive building. How little they anticipated the growth of the city may be seen from the fact that the school provided seating capacity for only forty-two boys in the main study hall. The school was opened in September, 1873

The building, designed by Leopold Eidletz, had various additions constructed over the years, starting with an assembly room and laboratories in 1899 (further additions were built in 1912, 1922 and 1934). When the city purchased the school building in 1951, the money went into a trust fund and the Bulkeley School Trustees and the Alumni Association now give out annual scholarships. The former school building served as the City’s recreation offices and then stood vacant for a time. The Mohegan Tribe acquired the building for use as a professional office and demolished one the earlier additions for a parking garage. in 1992 the former Bulkeley School building was chosen as the new home of the Regional Multicultural Magnet School. In 2003 the building was renovated and expanded, remaining earlier additions being replaced with a substantial new building attached to the original structure. The structure no longer has its original tower.