Connecticut Architecture. Christopher Wigren
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will encourage the preservation of its historic places. I use the term “historic” very broadly, to encompass Colonial saltboxes, but also postwar Capes and industrial and agricultural sites. These sites are crucial to Connecticut’s history, and many of them face increasingly uncertain futures because of changing tastes or declines in manufacturing and farming. Landscapes, townscapes,
and cityscapes are often even more important to our
sense of place than individual buildings. Preserving, enhancing, and, in some cases, reshaping these historic places enriches our present and can help us build a better future.
Each entry that follows includes basic information about date, designers or builders, and location. Many of these places are open to the public, and all are at least visible to the public. But please respect the privacy of property owners. In addition, each entry includes some sources of further information, including references to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the fundamental nationwide listing of significant places, and it is easily accessible online. The quality of information in the Register varies; in general, the more recent nominations are more accurate and complete. Nonetheless, it is almost always a good starting point. When a place has a website, it usually is listed. But there are not a lot of other Internet references, since websites change so frequently that many would be out of date before this book is published.
Many sources and people have contributed to the telling of these stories. First and foremost is the late Elizabeth Mills Brown—Betty to almost everyone who knew her—with whom I worked for many years on a never-completed architectural guidebook. Although this work contains only a few short quotations from her insightful and lively writings, Betty is present on every page, thanks to the many lessons I learned from her. Moreover, she and her band of helpers generated much of the raw material that I drew on. I am eternally grateful to Betty’s daughters, Lauren Brown, Valerie Brown, and Lila Brown, for generously allowing me to use her papers. Some of that guidebook material, we hope, will be made available electronically in a second phase.
This book would not have been written without the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, in particular its former executive directors, Helen Higgins, who gave the project an institutional home, and, Daniel Mackay, who enthusiastically saw it nearly to fruition. The board of trustees, especially chairmen Edmund Schmidt, Charles Janson, and Garry Leonard; the Historic Buildings and Easements Committee, chaired by Richard Wies; and my board liaison, Caroline Sloat, gave official support and guidance to the project. My fellow staff members, Gregory Farmer, Michael Forino, Terry Grady, Wes Haynes, Charlotte Hitchcock, Todd Levine, Erin Marchitto, Jane Montanaro, Kristen Nietering, Brad Schide, Jordan Sorensen, Renée Tribert, and Kathleen von Jena, have unfailingly offered assistance, advice, or encouragement. Several of them reviewed drafts at various stages; Charlotte Hitchcock read it all. As deadlines approached, they selflessly covered some of my other responsibilities so I could write.
The staff of the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office and its predecessor, the Connecticut Historical Commission, also helped, despite agency reorganizations, budget cuts, and chronic staffing shortages. Other valued input came from an advisory group that included Rachel Carley, Bruce Clouette, Jan Cunningham, Kathleen Curran, Rudy Favretti, Patrick Pinnell, Alan Plattus, James Sexton, Caroline Sloat, and Barbara Tucker. I am also grateful to the countless designers, builders, students, property owners, and stewards of Connecticut’s architecture who took time to show sites and share their knowledge and enthusiasm.
Earlier versions of some entries appeared in the Hartford Courant’s “Place” section; I thank the Courant for permission to reuse them here and former “Place” editor Tom Condon for inviting me to write. Other material was test-driven in Connecticut Preservation News, the Connecticut Trust’s newsletter.
Funding has come from the Connecticut Trust’s operating budget, thanks to the Trust’s generous members and donors. In addition, the project received grants from the Sons of the American Revolution in Connecticut and the Howard Gilman Foundation (special thanks to Garry Leonard for obtaining the latter).
Good illustrations are crucial to a book about architecture. Deb Cohen, Robert Egleston, Robert Gregson, Robert Grzywacz, and Patrick Pinnell all took multiple photographs, crisscrossing the state to capture the right place with the right light. Elizabeth Pratt Fox coordinated them all. In addition, she tracked down illustrations based on her extensive knowledge of archival collections throughout the state and beyond, made sure we had proper permissions, and kept everything in order. Diana Ross McCain edited copy before it was submitted
to the publisher; an experienced historian as well as an editor, she caught and corrected numerous errors and offered valuable suggestions. Joan Shapiro’s attention to detail made the index a valuable aid to using the book. Staff and editors from Wesleyan University Press and the University Press of New England have been unfailingly helpful and understanding of a first-time author’s inexperience. I also thank the anonymous readers whose observations made the book much stronger. Of course, any errors are my own.
On a personal level, I must recognize the Institute Library in New Haven, a little-known gem, which became my asylum for writing and thinking. Finally, I thank my partner, Mark, who generously put up with years of reading, writing, and obsessing. How will I try your patience now?
Hamden
February 2017
THE 100 PLACES
Shaping the Landscape
2. Windsor Farms and East Windsor Hill, South Windsor
3. Eolia (Harkness estate), Waterford
4. Rocky River Hydroelectric Station, New Milford
5. The Glass House, New Canaan
6. Saville Dam and Barkhamsted Reservoir, Barkhamsted
7. Lime Rock Park, Salisbury
8. Kroon Hall, New Haven
Materials and Technologies
9. New London County Courthouse, New London
10. Noroton Presbyterian Church, Darien
11. Portland Brownstone Quarries, Portland
12. Lover’s Leap Bridge, New Milford
13. Winslow Ames and Steel Houses, New London
14. First Presbyterian Church, Stamford
Where We Live
15. Benjamin Hall Jr. House, Guilford
16. Samuel Russell and William Trench Houses, Middletown
17. Mark Twain House, Hartford
18. Wallace T. Fenn House, Wethersfield
19. Perfect Sixes, Hartford
20. Nathaniel R. Bronson House, Middlebury
21. Beaver Hills, New Haven
22. Axel Nelson House, Waterford
23. Heritage Village, Southbury
Working the Land
24. Thomas Catlin Jr. House and Farm, Litchfield
25. Cyrus Wilson Farm, Harwinton
26. Tobacco Farms, Windsor
27. Hilltop Farm,