Historic Buildings of Connecticut - Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

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.

Blaze’s Building (1890)

Blaze’s Building is a c. 1890 frame Queen Anne-style commercial building at 32-34 Main Street in Tariffville in Simsbury. The building anchors the village center of Tariffville together with the nearby Boles Block, a brick structure built around the same time at 28 Main Street.

Second National Bank of New Haven (1912)

The building of the Second National Bank of New Haven, founded in 1855, was built at 129-31 Church Street in 1912-1913. It was the bank‘s fourth home, the Post Office and courthouse building next door having replaced its previous one on Church Street. The new building was designed by Starrett & Van Vleck of New York.

256-270 Broad Street, Bridgeport (1879)

A block of brick row houses at 256–270 Broad Street in Bridgeport, which date to around 1879, have been attributed to the architectural firm of Palliser & Palliser and the builder W. Bishop. The houses combine elements of the Victorian Gothic, Queen Anne and Romanesque styles in their eclectic facades. George and Charles Palliser built a number of such brick row houses in different parts of Bridgeport in the early 1880s, but this style of urban housing did not catch on in the city. One of this row of houses has a sign out front indicating that it was the home of Capt. William C. Hyer, who commanded a brigantine in fighting in 1864 at Fort Moultrie, Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina.

William and George Gould House (1875)

William and George Gould were prolific builders in Bridgeport who constructed the renouned George Hotel and St. Mary’s By The Sea Church (neither of which remains standing today). The brothers lived in a double house they built at 119–121 Seabright Avenue in Black Rock in 1875. George sold his north half to Hugo Keller in 1901 and William sold his south half to Joseph Smith about 1906.

George Richardson House (1887)

The George Richardson House is a Queen Anne-style residence built in 1887 at 311 Barnum Avenue in East Bridgeport. The house’s architect was Henry A. Lambert. There appear to be two prominent George Richardsons associated with Bridgeport at this time. The house was built for George Richardson, originally a railroad engineer in Troy, NY. He became superintendent of the Consolidated Safety Valve Company, which he founded with his partner, Richard H. Ashcroft, in Boston in 1879. The company moved to Bridgeport six years later. Both men had earlier patented new safety valve designs in the 1860s. The house was later owned by George E. Nothnagle of the George E. Nothnagle & Son furniture store in Bridgeport. (more…)

Black Rock School (1860)

The Black Rock School in Killingworth is a one-room schoolhouse built around 1860. In the mid-nineteenth century, it was one of Killingworth’s eight district schoolhouses, which were in use until 1949. Originally located on Route 148, the school was later moved by the Killingworth Historical Society to its current address, on town property, at Route 81 and Recycle Way, where it is now a museum. The Society also owns the Union district school on Roast Meat Hill Road and recently accepted the donation of the Pine Orchard School, which has also been moved from Route 148 to town property, in this case, Parmelee Farm, where it will eventually be rebuilt.