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

Colt Armory (1865)

The original Colt Armory was built in 1855 and was a central part of Samuel Colt‘s firearms-making empire. Based in the district of Hartford known as Coltsville, the armory was later joined by additional buildings, including housing for workers. The Colt mansion, Armsmear, was also built on a nearby hill, overlooking the factory complex. Three years after Colt’s death, the original armory was destroyed by fire in 1864. It was then rebuilt by Colt’s widow, Elizabeth Colt, using designs by the company’s general manager, General William B. Franklin. The new building was designed to be fireproof and also larger than its predecessor. It was also more decorative, with a design based on the styles of the Italian Renaissance.

The new Colt Armory also carried over the most dramatic feature of the original structure, the blue onion dome with gold stars, topped by a gold orb and a rampant colt, the original symbol of the Colt Manufacturing Company. Today, a gilded fiberglass replica is used, the gilded wood original now being displayed at the Museum of Connecticut History. As for Sam Colt‘s use of the famous onion dome, a distinctive feature easily noted by drivers on I-91, there are different theories concerning its origins, ranging from its being a tribute to his early Russian business contacts, to simply being a dramatic marketing statement which no one would forget. Coltsville is now undergoing plans for adaptive reuse and there is support for transforming the complex into a National Park.

Thomas Griswold House (1774)

Built around 1774 in Guilford by the blacksmith, Thomas Griswold III, for his sons, John and Ezra. It eventually became the property of their cousin George, and was passed down through his descendants until 1958, when it was purchased by the Guilford Keeping Society. This historical society preserves the house as a museum and has undertaken two major restorations, in 1974 and 1995. (more…)

George Hyland House (1690)

Possibly built sometime between 1690-1710, although it might also date back to 1660, the Hyland House in Guilford is a saltbox house that was most likely constructed for the sheep farmer, George Hyland, who died in 1693. It was later owned by his grandson, Ebenezer Parmelee, who was a shipwright and a metal/woodworker. Parmelee built New England’s first steeple clock for Guilford’s Congregational Church in 1727.

The house was in danger of demolition in 1916, but was saved by the Dorothy Whitfield Historic Society , who opened it as a museum of colonial life in 1918.

Henry Whitfield House (1639)

The house in Guilford built in 1639 by Henry Whitfield is the oldest house in Connecticut and the oldest stone house in New England. It was originally one of four stone houses built by the newly arrived English colonists to be part of the settlement’s defenses and to serve as homes for the town’s leaders. Whitfield, the community’s first minister, returned to England in 1651, following the execution of Charles I and the assumption of power by the Parliamentarians. The house has been operated as a state-owned museum since 1899, undergoing an initial restoration in 1903, and further work in the 1930s. Update: Here’s an interesting blog post about the Whitfield House.

Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company Building (1963)

Built as part of Constitution Plaza in Hartford in 1963, the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company building, designed by Max Abramovitz, is the world’s first two-sided building. Often called the “Boat Building” due to its shape, it is considered a notable example of the International Style of modern architecture. Phoenix was originally founded in 1851 as the American Temperance Life Insurance Company. Its name was changed to Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance in 1861.

Duane Barnes House (1848)

Across High Street from the Russell House in Middletown is the brownstone Gothic Revival style Duane Barnes House, which was possibly designed either by Barnes himself or by A.J. Davis. Today, the house is owned by Wesleyan University and serves as the Davidson Health Center.

Samuel Russell House (1828)

Built between 1828 and 1830, on High Street in Middletown, the Samuel Russell House is regarded as “one of the premier examples of Greek Revival architecture in the Northeast.” It was constructed for Samuel Wadsworth Russell, who was an important figure in the early nineteenth century China trade. Russell commissioned the well-known architect, Ithiel Town, a proponent of the Greek Revival, to design the house. The construction of the house was supervised by the builder-architect, David Hoadley. With the Russell House, Town created one of the first homes in America to feature a Greek temple design, utilizing correct Greek proportions and six Corinthian columns on the facade. Its design would prove influential in the creation of other Greek Revival houses. It also set a high standard of elegance for Middletown’s High Street, which Charles Dickens is supposed to have called the most beautiful street in America. The house was given to Wesleyan University by Thomas Macdonough Russell, Jr in 1937.