Since 1935, the house at 135 North Broad Street in Milford has been home to Smith Funeral Home, founded in 1886 by George J. Smith. The wing on the west side is the earliest section of the house. The building was much expanded in 1853-1855 by John Fowler as an Italianate villa. Simon Lake bought the house in 1900 and further expanded it, building a laboratory behind it. Simon Lake was a mechanical engineer and naval architect who is credited with inventing the modern submarine.
Simon Lake House (1853)
This house has now been modified with several side and rear sections removed and the laboratory in the back destroyed. Similarly, the inside is being changed significantly. This was done to allow “luxury” apartments/condos to be built behind it (between it and the railroad tracks). Some Milford residents (including myself) – and others – fought this plan due to its historic nature and the obscene vision of these large, unsightly new buildings, but the Milford Planning and Zoning approved it anyway.