Thomas Settle Building (1887)

The building at 248 Main Street in Danbury was erected in 1887 as the home of the Danbury National Bank. It was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by Bridgeport architect Warren Briggs. It served the bank until 1924. In 1940 the building became the home of the Settle Agency, an insurance Agency run by Thomas Settle. The building now bears his name. A fire in 1873 destroyed the building’s original third-story steep gables and roof. The third floor was then rebuilt. As related in The Bankers Magazine (Vol. XLIII, No. 5, November 1888):

The Danbury National Bank has taken possession of its new building which is spacious, well arranged, well lighted, and is a model of its kind. The front is occupied by the president and cashier, each having separate offices. The remainder is divided into compartments for tellers and clerks Each of these are divided by open metal work giving one a view of the entire room from any point. Outside is an abundance of room for patrons of the bank and desks are conveniently arranged for their use. The furniture of this room is of cherry. The ceiling is sixteen feet high. This institution has an excellent history. In 1824 the Fairfield County Bank, located at Norwalk, was chartered by the legislature, with the provision that it should have a branch at Danbury At the meeting of the directors held August 24, 1824, Zalmon Wildman (the father of Frederick S Wildman, president of the Savings Bank of Danbury) was elected president of said branch bank, and David Foot was appointed a committee to contract with Dr Comstock for the use of a room in his house, and to fit it up for the use of the bank. On the 20th of September, 1824, Curtis Clark was elected cashier of the branch bank, and the bank commenced business. On the 29th day of August, 1825, it was “voted that in the opinion of this board it is expedient to build a banking house for the accommodation of the institution as soon as may be convenient,” and a building was erected and occupied for a period of twenty nine years as the Fairfield County Branch Bank, until July 1844, when the Danbury Bank was chartered, and took the place of the Fairfield County Branch Bank. with same board of president and directors. The Danbury Bank occupied that building until April 14th, 1855. Then another building was projected but for various reasons was not built until the present time.

The adjacent building at 244-246 Main Street (on the left in the image above) was the earlier home of the Danbury National Bank. It has gone through many changes. It was erected in 1855 to a design by New Haven architect Henry Austin. It was enlarged to three stories and completely remodeled in 1891 to designs by architect Joel Foster. A metal facade was applied in the 1960s that was later removed.