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

Fairfield County Courthouse (1899)

Three successive courthouses have stood on the same spot on Danbury’s Main Street. The first was built in 1785 and the second in 1823-1824. This latter building was enlarged in 1879, but the need for an even larger structure led to the building of the Fairfield County Courthouse of 1899. The architect was Warren R. Briggs of Bridgeport, who also designed the Fairfield County Courthouse in Bridgeport (1888) and the Connecticut Building for the World’s Colombian Exposition (1893). Today, the copper-domed Courthouse in Danbury serves as the Courthouse for Juvenile Matters.

Edgecomb-Gates House (1835)

The house at 15 Gravel Street in Mystic was built around 1835 by Daniel D. Edgecomb, a carpenter who made coffins in his basement workshop. In 1847, the house was acquired by Captain Gurdon Gates, who added the intricately detailed porch. The oldest of four brothers, who all became sea captains, Gurdon Gates was known for his record run in 1866 around the Horn in the clipper ship, Twilight. He also commanded other ships, including the steamship, Victor, during the Civil War. After his retirement from the sea, he was involved in business and politics, serving in the Connecticut Assembly. Gravel Street was known as “Captain’s Walk” because all of the homes there but one once belonged to sea captains.

52 Main Street, Cheshire (1840)

The vernacular house at 52 Main Street in Cheshire was built around 1840. It was purchased by St. Peter’s Episcopal parish in 1852 for use as a parsonage. The hip-roofed entry porch was added around 1875 and the side porch in the 1930s. The building is now owned by Cheshire Academy.

The Richard Douglass House (1801)

The Richard Douglass House, on Green Street in New London, is a gambrel-roofed house built in 1801. Richard Douglass was a cooper and served in the Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati. The house has a MySpace page.

The Bulkeley House (1790)

The home of Charles Bulkeley, on Bank Street in New London, was built around 1790 and replaced an earlier home burned during Arnold’s 1781 raid on the city. Bulkeley was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and a sea captain who sailed with John Paul Jones. In the 1880s, the house became home to the Klinck Meat Market and an ice house was located in the rear. Today the building is the Bulkeley House Restaurant.

John T. Earle House (1853)

Danbury‘s Octagon House was built in 1853 by John T. Earle and remained in the Earle family in 1918. Today, it is located at 21 Spring Street, but when it was constructed, Spring Street did not yet exist, so the house‘s original address was on Elm Street. The house, still encircled by a three story porch, is now an apartment building.

John Rider House (1785)

John Rider was a Danbury carpenter, who also served as a state militia captain during the Revolutionary War. The house of John and his wife Mary was built in 1785 and was occupied by members of the Rider family until 1925. In 1941, the house was saved from potential destruction through the action of citizens, who formed the Danbury Historical Society and Arts Center. This organization merged, in 1947, with the Scott Fanton Museum to form the Danbury Museum and Historical Society. The Rider House on Main Street is today a museum and has been joined by other historic structures, which together form the Museum’s main campus.