Preservation News March/April 2010 Volume XXXIII, No. 2

Courtesy of DEP, Division of State Parks and Public Outreach From Stone House to Glass House Connecticut’s House Museums By Karin Peterson, Museum Director, Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism

ew England is well known for its many historic N house museums and Connecticut alone has over 200. The Commission of Culture & Tourism invites the public to view an exhibit on Connecticut’s historic houses, “From Stone House to Glass House” in its gal- lery at One Constitution Plaza (second floor), Hartford during business hours. The exhibit opens April 1 with a special viewing between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. and contin- ues through May 28. This exhibit tells the collective story of the state’s historic house museums by focusing on the opening of select museum houses and linking them to personalities, organizations and legislation. Women’s groups led the earliest efforts to save historic houses from uncertain futures. Town chapters of the Tour guides at Gillette Castle State Park, circa 1950. Daughters of the began forming in Connecticut in 1892 and the National Society of Colonial General Assembly passed a resolution in 1899 naming it the State Dames, led by Elizabeth Colt, established a Connecticut Society Historical Museum. Shortly thereafter, a group of concerned in 1893. These fledging organizations were especially active citizens purchased the Knapp Tavern or “Putnam Cottage,” in in the first part of the 20th century. Their preservation efforts Greenwich, the 1779 headquarters of General , to focused on saving old buildings associated with illustrious citi- save it from demolition. Connecticut’s historic house museum zens or events. movement was on its way. The Henry Whitfield Museum in Guilford was one of their Historical societies also were early involved with historic house successes and the museum house starts the exhibit time line. making as they sought to preserve landmarks important to their Long recognized as an story. In 1907 the New London important relic from the County Historical Society past, it seemed to many that In This Issue... undertook a fund drive to pur- the house should be pub- ______chase the Shaw Mansion and all its contents from the last fam- licly owned and preserved Preservation______Grants 4 forever. In response to a ily member living there. The petition from the Colonial Around______the State 8 house had been the headquar- Dames, the Connecticut continued on page 6 Modern______Buildings on the National Register 10 Connecticut Snapshots: Booth Park 16

The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit organization. ISSN 1084-189X At the Trust From the Executive Director

hirty-five years House to Glass House,” which recounts New Haven City Hall and supplemented by T ago this past the development of house museums in the public events, “The Preservation Movement February, a group state, in its own gallery (see page 1). The Then and Now” will reach an audience of concerned Westport Historical Society continues with beyond the usual faithful preservationists preservationists “Westport Modern: When Cool Was Hot, and, we hope, bring new allies into the fold. gathered in a living “about that town’s legacy of Modernist What better birthday present could we hope room in Middletown architecture (see page 7). We were pleased for? and formed the Connecticut to contribute to the exhibit a digital walk- —Helen Higgins Trust for Historic Preservation. Through though of the Micheels house, designed the leadership of Harlan Griswold, chair- by in 1972, now demol- man of the state’s Historical Commission, ished. Stephanie Tryzk of Stephen Lazar the State Legislature passed Special Act Architects designed the program as part of 75-93 that officially chartered the orga- their pro bono work for the Trust. Upcoming Meetings of the nization. He believed that Connecticut The Connecticut Trust has been busy, Connecticut Historic should have a private agency concerned too. In partnership with Historic New Preservation Council with the preservation of this state’s built England (HNE) and the New Haven April 7, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. environment that could act in ways impos- Preservation Trust, and with funding from May 5, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. sible for an arm of the state government, the Connecticut Humanities Council, we the Historical Commission. Then as now, are displaying HNE’s exhibition, “The State Historic the relationship between the state’s Preservation Movement Then and Now,” Preservation Board historic preservation office, now at the which tells the story of historic preserva- March 18, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. Commission on Culture & Tourism, and tion in New England (see insert). The the Trust is complementary and extraordi- Connecticut Humanities Council also All meetings take place at the narily strong, as Mr. Griswold envisioned. funded our creation of an additional Commission on Culture and Tourism The Trust will celebrate this anniversa- panel specifically about preservation in Main Conference Room ry specifically on April 7 but more gener- Connecticut. Installed in the atrium at 1 Constitution Plaza ally all year long. We have commissioned For more information call (860) 256-2800 a special logo for the year which you can see above and on the cover of CPN. In our The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit statewide membership organization established by a special act of the State Legislature in 1975. Working with local preservation groups and individuals as well as statewide annual appeal for membership renewal organizations, it encourages, advocates and facilitates historic preservation throughout Connecticut.

that went out the 1st of March we empha- Board of Trustees Gubernatorial Appointees Connecticut Preservation News is Theodore F. Ells, Branford published bimonthly by the Connecticut sized the important role that longstanding Officers Trust for Historic Preservation, 940 Whitney Jeffry Muthersbaugh, Chairman, Bethel Natalie Ketcham, Redding Avenue, Hamden, Connecticut 06517. members have played in strengthening the Edmund Schmidt, Vice-Chairman, Darien Edith Pestana, Hartford Publication is made possibly by support of the members of the Connecticut Trust for Trust. We celebrate you during this 35th Adrienne Farrar Houel, Secretary, Bridgeport Advisory Council Historic Preservation and by funds provided Edward W. Munster, Treasurer, Haddam Martha Alexander, New Haven through the Community Investment Act, anniversary year. Public Act 05-228, Connecticut Commission Walter Fiederowicz, Assistant Treasurer, J. Barclay Collins, Sharon on Culture & Tourism, State of Connecticut, The Trust’s Historic Barns survey Litchfield William R. Crowe, Canton M. Jodi Rell, Governor. The contents and Jared Edwards, FAIA, West Hartford opinions stated herein do not necessarily project received statewide attention when Additional Members of the reflect the views and policies of the State of Board of Trustees Inger Elliott, Stonington Connecticut. The Connecticut Trust Scott D. Bates, Stonington Gerald Farrell, Jr., Wallingford for Historic Preservation assumes no Connecticut Magazine asked experts in responsibility for the advertisements. Serena Bechtel, Greenwich Mimi Findlay, New Canaan various fields to select their favorite things Glenn Geathers, Hartford This program receives State financial James Blansfield, Danbury assistance for identification and protection for the magazine’s January issue. As one Sara C. Bronin, Hartford John Herzog, Southport of historic properties. Under Title VI of William W. Crosskey, II, AIA, Bolton Lee Kuckro, Wethersfield the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section of the experts, Trust barn researcher Stephen S. Lash, Stonington 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Leroy Diggs, Danbury U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits Charlotte Hitchcock picked her favorite Robert Faesy, Wilton Charles T. Lee, Greenwich discrimination on the basis of race, color, Lynn Friedman, Madison Peter Malkin, Greenwich national origin or handicap in its federally barn. She chose the Darling House Barn, assisted programs. If you believe you have Ruth Harvey, Glastonbury Cesar Pelli, FAIA, New Haven been discriminated against in any program, in Woodbridge. The barn and house, she Bill Hosley, Enfield The Hon. Andrew Roraback, Goshen activity, or facility as described above, or if John W. Shannahan, Suffield you desire further information, please write says, “form a natural gateway out of New Charles Janson, Darien to the Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Theresa Kidd, Haddam Staff Department of the Interior, Washington, Haven. As I city dweller, I love how I Ralph Knighton, Bloomfield Helen Higgins, Executive Director D.C. 20240. Rebekah MacFarlane, Westport Christopher Wigren, Deputy Director © 2009, Connecticut Trust for Historic know that I’m in the New England Preservation. All rights reserved. James McLaughlin, Durham Brad Schide, Connecticut Circuit Rider ISSN 1084-189X countryside as soon as I pass by this Donald Poland, Hartford Gregory Farmer, Connecticut Circuit Rider barn.” As of February, the barns survey George Purtill, Glastonbury Jane Montanaro, Preservation Services Officer The Hon. Kelvin Roldan, Hartford Kathleen von Jena, Membership and Office Manager includes nearly 4,000 barns; visit Adele Strelchun, North Canaan Todd Levine, Director, Historic Barns of Connecticut www.connecticutbarns.org for details. Robert Svensk, Southport Charlotte Hitchcock, Researcher, Historic Barns of Connecticut John B. Toomey, Jr., Bolton Stephanie Lessard, Intern This spring promises to be an eventful Jane Vercelli, Thompson Connecticut Preservation News time for preservation-related exhibitions. Jeanne Webb, Hartford Editor: Christopher Wigren Richard N. Wies, AIA, Branford Editor, Historic Properties Exchange: Jane Montanaro The Connecticut Commission on Culture Douglas Williams, Thompson Graphic Design: David Wolfram, Middletown & Tourism is mounting “From Stone Hiram P. Williams, South Kent Printing: Kramer Printing, West Haven

 Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010 Funding Preservation CHFA Supports Trust’s Building Fund

he Connecticut Trust is gap financing for historic rehabilitation pleased to announce that T Schide B. projects in Connecticut’s urban areas (see the Connecticut Housing Finance CPN, January/February 2007). Since Authority (CHFA) has awarded a then, the program has provided $191,000 grant of $261,670 to invest in the in forgivable loans to seven projects, Trust’s Historic Building Finance Fund leveraging $3,208,000 in additional (HBFF). The grant comes from CHFA’s investment. portion of the Community Investment For more information on the Act, which provides money for historic Historic Buildings Finance Fund, visit preservation, affordable housing, farm- www.cttrust.org/index.cgi/9223 land protection and open space acquisi- or call Brad Schide, (860) 463-1093. tion through a real estate filing fee. The partnership with CHFA exemplifies a goal of the CIA to encourage coop- erative programming among the four What Is recipient agencies. Update: With this grant, the Trust will Preservation Worth? be able to make loans that help put three long-vacant historic buildings in eacting to reports that the White Hartford back into use. R House had eliminated funding One loan will go to Christian 54 Edgewood Street, Hartford for the Save America’s Treasures and Activities Council (CAC) for the reha- Preserve America programs, reports bilitation of 54-56 Edgewood Street in • 87-89 Atwood Street, another preservation economist Donovan Hartford’s Upper Albany neighborhood, a Perfect Six which will be substan- Rypkema (see “What Is Preservation typical Hartford “Perfect Six” which CAC tially renovated as two side-by- Worth?” CPN, January/February plans to renovate as six condominium side single family homes. In the 2010) published comments in “Place units. Work had stalled for lack of financ- spring of 2009, the Trust gave a Economics Blog” On February 8. SAT ing, but with the HBFF money it is expect- grant of $5,000 to help stabilize was founded during the Millennium ed to get back on track. this severely deteriorated celebrations (see CPN, March/April Two of the loans will go to Northside structure. 1999) and extended because of its suc- Institutions Neighborhood Alliance cess. Moreover, as Rypkema points out, Both CAC and NINA have already (NINA) for these buildings in the Asylum both programs also contributed signifi- rehabilitated several buildings in their tar- Hill neighborhood: cantly to job creation: get neighborhoods, so these latest projects • 235 Sargeant Street is a three- will both benefit from and contribute to Between 1999 and 2009, the Save story, shingled double house broader revitalization efforts. America’s Treasures program allo- constructed around 1900. HBFF was established by the cated around $220 million dollars for Abandoned since 2007, the house Connecticut Trust in 2006 to provide the restoration of nearly 900 historic has been vandalized. structures, many of them National Historic Landmarks. This invest- ment by the SAT program generated in excess of $330 million from other sources. This work meant 16,012 jobs (a job being one full time equivalent job for one year...the same way they are counting jobs for the Stimulus Program). The cost per job created? $13,780. This compares with the White House announcement that the Stimulus Package is creating one job for every $248,000. Whose program is helping the economy? To read Rypkema’s comments in full, visit http://www.placeeconomics.com/blog.html

Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010  Funding Preservation Technical Assistance Grants Awarded

he Connecticut Trust awarded a Canton Historical total of $309,796 to 41 nonprofit Society, Collinsville: T $3,000 for a detailed organizations and municipalities from cost estimate of

across the state in January. Every grant Historical Society Kent proposed renova- awarded creates a short-term job that will tions to the Canton employ architects, structural, mechanical Historical Museum and civil engineers, historic and preserva- (1865, NR). tion consultants, energy use consultants, Chaplin technology firms and planning companies. Historic District The Historic Preservation Technical Commission: $4,500 Assistance Grants program is a collab- for plans for the reuse orative historic preservation granting of the former William program of the Connecticut Trust for Ross Public Library Historic Preservation, with funding from (1911, NR) as a commu- nity art center. the Connecticut General Assembly, the Seven Chimneys, Kent Connecticut Humanities Council and Community with the Hamden Historical Society and the the Commission on Culture & Tourism. Economic Development Fund, East Hartford: $2,500 for a visioning study of Farmington Canal Commission. (In the following list, “NR” means that a downtown East Hartford (NR) to promote building is listed on the National Register, Connecticut Community for Addiction grass-roots community development efforts. Recovery, Hartford: $8,000 for a capital either individually or as part of a district; Town of Essex: $10,000 for an energy audit needs assessment of the Charles B. Haskel “SR” means it is on the State Register, and of Town Hall, a former school built in 1892. house (1896, NR), to preserve the building’s “NHL” means that it is a National Historic historic character while improving energy Merwinsville Hotel Restoration, Landmark.) efficiency. Gaylordsville: $4,000 for structural Ashford Historical Society: $8,000 engineering analysis and recommendations Hispanic Health Council, Hartford: for design development and construction for repairs to this historic trackside hotel $16,600 to develop bid-level plans and speci- documents for rehabilitation and reuse of the (1843; NR). fications for design of a new energy efficient HVAC system of its historic Main Street Tremko house (c.1773) to serve as a society The Historical Society of the Town of building (NR). headquarters and museum. Greenwich: $10,000 for plans to reconstruct Town of Barkhamsted: $5,000 to develop a dormer on the rear of the Bush-Holley house Immaculate Conception Shelter and a strategic plan for preserving the historic (NHL), depicted in paintings by Childe Hassam. Housing Corporation, Hartford: $19,695 to study and determine appropriate reuse of Lambert Hitchcock House in the village of Hamden Historic Properties the former Immaculate Conception Church Riverton (NR). Commission: $2,500 to design signage and (1894, NR). Connecticut Landmarks, Bethlehem: other publicity for the Jepp Brook Millsite $5,000 to document damage at the Bellamy- (SR; state archaeological preserve) and for The Woman’s Institute for Housing & Ferriday house (NR) that may have an archaeological survey of Lock 14 on the Economic Development, Jewett City: been caused by use of an encasement paint Farmington Canal (NR), in collaboration $20,000 to provide architectural documents th product. for the renovation of a 19 -century down- town building as supportive housing for home- less veterans. Kent Historical Society: $13,392 for a Historic Structures Report of Seven Hearths, one of the most significant Colonial houses in town (NR). Academy of Our Lady of Mercy at Lauralton Hall, Milford: $13,700 for techni- cal planning to adapt the school’s carriage barn (1864) for reuse as a performing arts center. Last year, a Connecticut Trust Barn Grant provided emergency stabilization of the barn. First Lutheran Church of the Reformation, New Britain: $2,245 to pro- vide hazardous materials inspection of church (1906, SR) as a first step toward restoration. New Canaan Preservation Alliance: $4,750 for website design and development, including simplifying local zoning issues,

 Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010 historic district commission regulations, on-the-Green Paul’s St. information on National and State registers, easements, technical advice and vernacular architectural styles. New Haven Department of Cultural Affairs: $5,750 to layer monuments, memori- als, and public art onto the City’s digital mapping system, to support planning and devel- opment activities and provide public access to Saint Paul’s-on-the-Green, Norwalk images and data. New Haven Museum and Historical Town of Putnam: $20,000 to hire a multi- Willington Historical Society: $10,000 to Society: $10,000 for a feasibility study for disciplinary team including an architect, land- provide a conditions assessment of the Daniel the restoration of the museum’s headquarters, scape architect, engineers, and construction Glazier Tavern (c.1815; NR). a Colonial Revival structure designed by J. consultant, to develop plans for adaptive use Town of Windham: $7,500 to provide Frederick Kelly (1929, NR). of Cargill Falls Mill (see CPN November/ needs analyses for two historic buildings that December 2009). New Haven Preservation Trust: $2,500 to currently house the Windham Textile build an online searchable database of records Town of Rocky Hill and Rocky Hill & History Museum. and images which will be made accessible to the Historical Society: $6,000 for a structural Grace Episcopal Church, Windsor: $9,912 public through NHPT’s website, including more conditions analysis and remediation recom- to assess water infiltration, which is causing than 2,000 Historic Resource Inventory forms. mendations for Academy Hall (1803, NR). damage to this historic brownstone building St. Paul’s on-the-Green Episcopal Stonington Historical Society: $5,000 (1864; NR), and to develop a remediation plan. Church, Norwalk: $6,375 for a topographi- for a Historic Structures Report of the Old Winchester Soldiers’ Monument cal survey of the historic churchyard, which Stonington Lighthouse (NR), to document Commission, Winsted: $13,845 for engi- contains cultural features dating to the colonial the building’s evolution, study environmental neering restoration and site enhancements to beginnings of Norwalk, 400+ grave markers, conditions, explore climate control options, this Gothic Revival Civil War monument (1889- outbuildings, stone wall, labyrinth, and paths. and evaluate fire protection and handicap 1890; NR). Norwalk Mutual Housing: $2,000 for a accessibility. Woodstock Historical Society: $11,500 to National Register nomination of the Village City of Torrington: $5,000 to study costs provide assessment of the Chamberlin sawmill Creek historic district, which contains 64 associated in renovating the historic Warner (SR) which includes documentation of current Modernist houses (1950-1964) and 4 sites. Studio Theater (NR) to modern code stan- condition, measured drawings, and recommen- dards. This study will be used to promote Norwich Historical Society: $8,500 to dations for stabilization. clarify title and assess conditions of the the re-use of this property and nearby vacant Connecticut Main Street Center: $5,000 Buckingham Memorial (1847, NR), home of buildings. to develop and implement a communications William Buckingham, Connecticut’s Civil War Friends of Valley Falls, Vernon: $5,912 plan to increase awareness of, and resources governor, and now housing historic and for strategic and historic preservation for, the revitalization of Connecticut’s historic preservation organizations. planning at the 8-acre Valley Falls Farm. Main Streets as catalysts for community development. The Friends of Connecticut State Parks: Buckingham Memorial, Norwich $19,620 for conditions assessments of the Ostrom Enders house (Waterford) and the Smith-Curtiss house (Derby), both being considered for the Department of Environmental Protection’s new resident

Norwich Historical Society curatorship program. Municipalities statewide: $2,500 for energy audits of the Indian Charity School (Columbia), Harwinton Community Hall (Harwinton), former Witt School (Stafford), Old Tolland Jail & Museum (Tolland) and Bridge Street School (Suffield).

For more information on Historic Preservation Technical Assistance Grants, call the Trust at (203) 562-6312 or visit www.cttrust.org and click on “Seek Grants and Loans.”

Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010  Connecticut’s House Museums, cont’d from page 1

ters for Connecticut’s navy during the While some historic houses joined American Revolution and among the the public domain effortlessly by gift, house’s treasures was a tea table taken by bequest, or by purchase, others as prize from a privateer in 1778. There required years of struggle and legal was such support and widespread inter- battles. Katherine Seymour Day led est that the newspaper daily reported the fight to save the Hartford house the amount raised. Similarly, in 1929, where Samuel Clemens wrote some the Litchfield Historical Society of his most famous books after it was purchased the home of its best known sold to a developer in 1921. Although resident, Tapping Reeve, who estab- no longer threatened with demolition, lished American’s first law school. there were no funds for restoration or Early preservation activities operation as a museum. The house tended to be local. The exception was was used as a public library with the establishment of the statewide Courtesy of the Tourism Connecticut Commission on Culture & rented apartments. It was not fully Antiquarian & Landmarks Society in restored and opened to the public as 1936. Although begun with the intent the Mark Twain House until 1974. to stimulate interest in Connecticut his- One of the grandest residences in the tory after the heightened awareness gen- Connecticut, the Lockwood-Mathews erated by the Tercentenary, A&L soon Mansion was being used by the City found itself being offered—and accept- of Norwalk as its public works garage. ing—historic houses to be museums. A grassroots movement formed to save Its first museum house, the Nathan it from demolition in 1962. The bitter Hale Homestead in Coventry, opened fight included a citywide referendum in 1948. Its second museum house, the and a legal battle which went all the Buttolph-Williams in Wethersfield, Renovation of the Prudence Crandall house, 1981. way to the Connecticut Supreme which opened two years later, reflected Court of Errors. a shift in preservation criteria to architec- Henry Whitfield house and acquire the The Glass House, seminal example of tural merit and integrity with less emphasis Prudence Crandall house, now an historic the Modernist architectural style, brings the on a famous owner. house museum, to save it from demolition. story of Connecticut historic house muse- Connecticut preservation received a In 1971 the CHC provided funds to assist ums to the present. Built in 1949 by archi- big boost with the establishment of the the Society for the Preservation of New tect Philip Johnson, it was bequeathed to Connecticut Historical Commission (now England Antiquities (now Historic New the National Trust for Historic Preservation part of the Commission on Culture & England) with the purchase of Roseland and opened to the public in 2007. Tourism) in 1955. However, the state Cottage in Woodstock. Its acquisition allotted only limited funds until 1966, signaled another milestone—the recognition For more information about the exhibit, when the National Historic Preservation by architectural historians and the public of visit www.cultureandtourism.org or call Act required each state to have a State the value of and need to preserve Victorian 860-278-2800. Historic Preservation Office. Thus, the houses. CHC was able to assume oversight of the

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 Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010 WESTPORT MODERN: West River When Cool Was Hot Restoration hree years ago, preserva- T tionists rallied to save the Micheels house in Westport, one of Paul Rudolph’s most important works. Ultimately, this battle, which culmi- nated in a lawsuit filed by the Connecticut Trust, was lost. Triumphantly the devel- oper bulldozed the house and replaced it with a “Shingle Style” McMansion—one more by reproduce permission only Michael Jennings Glynn; tragic loss of an important building. It was clear to Michael Glynn, a New York architect, and Morley Boyd, a Westport preservationist, both leaders in 18th and early 19th the Micheels battle, that the first step in preserving impor- century structural repair, tant modern buildings was to restoration and recreation. find them before the developers did—in other words, conduct Doors, windows, trim, a survey. Working with Kim siding, period rooms, floors, Elstein, an authority on Modern sills, framing, fireplaces, furniture, they searched out The First Unitarian Church of Fairfield County, in Westport (1961), masonry, kitchens, baths, houses built from the early designed by Victor Lundy 1930s through the 1970s in and barns. Westport and Weston. The team made some remarkable finds. For Boyd, Glynn and Elstein have hung instance, a rare International Style house an exhibit at the Westport Historical by Chicago architect Barry Byrne and a Society, with photos and information large villa, built in 1940, by Ely Jacques from the survey, as well as photos of the Kahn, as well as first-rate work by lesser- destruction of the Micheels house, taken known architects. by photographer Chris Mottalini. The A big Moderne house that could have team hopes to do a more extensive search popped out of a Nick and Nora Charles and eventually to place all the buildings movie turned out to have been designed on a web site, similar to what was recently by Erard Matthiessen, an obscure archi- accomplished in New Canaan. New tect who went on to a notable career in Canaan has been billed as the epicenter of environmental conservation and to have a modern houses, but based on this survey, Thomas Linskey famous son, the author Peter Matthiessen. it would appear that New Canaan is not 350 Middle Haddam Rd. Victor Lundy, Mies van der Rohe, Richard unique. Neutra, and Keck and Keck are some of Portland, CT 06486 the other architects represented. The sur- “Westport Modern: When Cool Was Hot” 860-342-2289 runs at the Westport Historical Society vey team also located a house designed by 860-463-1185 Antonin Raymond in 1941. The owner, through May 1. For more information, unaware of the house’s provenance, had visit www.westporthistory.org or call (203) 222-1424. “An old house craftsman dedicated to been planning to demolish most of it to perpetuating early Connecticut architecture, build a spec house. one job at a time, large or small, for individuals and organizations.”

Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010  Around the State

Bridgeport. The Arcade, a Stamford. The Rectory of Saint forerunner to modern shopping Wigren C. Andrew’s Episcopal Church was demolished malls and a longtime downtown on February 11, after Judge Barbara Brazzel- landmark, received its first tenant Massaro ruled against preservationists in when the Main Street Pharmacy a lawsuit brought under the Connecticut opened in January. Inspired by a Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) to visit to the building and a dream of preserve the house. providing personal service to down- Save Old Stamford (SOS) filed the lawsuit town customers, Jean Jacob, a for- in December under CEPA, which allows any mer pharmacist at Walgreen’s, and citizen to sue to prevent “the unreasonable his wife, a holistic nurse, put up destruction of historic structures and land- their life savings to start the store. marks of the state”—defined as those listed In addition to the Arcade itself, on or under consideration for the National the building also includes the Register of Historic Places (see CPN, Arcade Hotel, a Greek Revival September/October 2009, January/February commercial building built in 1840. 2010). The Arcade was added to the rear The congregation has declined in numbers of the hotel in 1889, providing The newly-restored Bridgeport Arcade and has tried for years to develop part of its more profitable use of the interior large downtown property. Several schemes of the lot as well as a cut-through to Broad ment company devoted to sustainable and have been proposed, some incorporating the Street. From Main Street it is reached by a transit-oriented development. They are house and some not. The latest scheme, with long passage with a slight bend that delays renovating sixteen buildings in downtown developer Randy Salvatore, called for razing the visitor’s view of the atrium, where two Bridgeport, hoping to create a critical mass the stone house and building a 94-unit apart- levels of shops surround an open central of renewal and activity that can become ment tower. area. Iron scrollwork supports the balcony self-sustaining. Under his agreement with Saint Andrew’s, and the glass roof, through which brilliant The residential part of the project was Salvatore pays the church $20,000 per month sunlight pours. relatively easy: Urban Green Builders’ ground rent and will continue to do so until Renovation of the Arcade is by Urban Eric Anderson reports that all 23 apart- the new building is 85 percent occupied, at Green Builders, a New York-based develop- ments were quickly rented, but finding which time he will complete the purchase. tenants for the 27 retail and commercial This agreement made the church, rather than spaces has gone more slowly. This pattern Salvatore, responsible for getting planning parallels revitalization experiences other approvals for the project and for demolishing downtown districts, such as New Haven’s the historic rectory. Ninth Square, where commercial activity Moreover, during the trial Salvatore said had atrophied, and businesses were leery of he would abandon the deal if forced to save the risks of opening in untried locations. the house. The Rev. Richard Alton, the However, commercial activity has eventu- church’s priest-in-charge, testified that Saint ally come to the Ninth Square, boding Andrew’s depends on Salvatore’s payments to well for the Arcade. keep operating. One half of the money was For more information, going regularly for payroll, the other half was being set aside for the new youth programs PRODUCING CUSTOM MILLWORK FOR visit www.urbangreenbuilders.com. which the church plans to initiate and which CONNECTICUT CONTRACTORS AND are expected to become its principal ministry. HOMEOWNERS FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS If Salvatore were to walk away, the church SPECIALIZING IN PERIOD WOODWORK would have to close its doors. The judge’s decision placed great weight WINDOWS • DOORS • ENTRANCES on the church’s parlous finances, and the MOLDINGS • BALUSTRADES hardship it would suffer if this deal were to PANELING • TURNING • CARVING fall through. “While the court understands the plaintiff’s desire to maintain this build- 222 QUARRY HILL ROAD ing as a historic building, the costs associated HADDAM NECK with either the restoration or a combination EAST HAMPTON, CT 06424 of relocation and restoration is overwhelming PHONE: 860 267-4693 for a small parish that can barely break even FAX: 860 267-1611 on income and expenses,” she wrote. To watch a video of the demolition, visit: WWW.JOHNSONMILLWORK.COM www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/media/ St-Andrew-s-rectory-demolished-1892.php  Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010 The Most ImportantNew Threatened Listings onHistoric the National Places –Register Update

Town Hall, Watertown (2006). Since he took office in November, Council G. Farmer G. After years of neglect and indecision, in Chairman Raymond Primini has made clear his February the Town Council directed the Public intention to repair Town Hall as part of a larger Buildings Committee to develop plans for project to convert Heminway Park School into a repairing or replacing the roof of Town Hall. government center. Once the school is converted, The building was built in 1894 and is a town offices can move there, allowing a thorough contributing structure in the Watertown Center renovation of the Town Hall. National Register district. For years it has suf- The Waterbury Republican-American com- fered from a decaying roof, crumbling brick mented, “Bringing Town Hall back to its prime and poor ventilation. Scaffolding erected years has been a consideration in town since the 1950s, ago as protection against falling masonry has but it has never materialized either due to a lack become so much a part of the local scene that of political will or financial constraints.” With many townspeople don’t even see it any more. this vote Watertown has taken the first step toward restoring this historic asset to its rightful Watertown’s town hall place as a landmark in the community.

Around the State Simsbury. The National Trust for New England village.” as well as hiking and biking trails and Historic Preservation has designated Town officials, along with the Simsbury opportunities for boating and fishing on Simsbury’s Main Street one of its Dozen Main Street Partnership and members of the Farmington River. Distinctive Destinations for 2010. The des- Connecticut’s congressional delegation, Writing in the Hartford Courant, col- ignation recognizes the town’s efforts promoted the town’s selection. They cited umnist Tom Condon observed that the to protect its recreational and historic its well-preserved downtown with an active recognition is the culmination of twenty assets, calling it “the quintessential farmers’ market and top-rated restaurants, years of activity by a variety of players continued on page 14

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Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010  New Listings on the National Register Connecticut Modern

wo landmarks of 20th-century Modernist architecture in T Douglas Royalty Connecticut were recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Moreover, both buildings represent important preservation success stories. Both faced urgent threats but now are well on their way to long-term preserva- tion. National Register listing provides public recognition of these remarkable turnarounds.

130 Mohegan Avenue, New London In 1934, Winslow Ames, the direc- tor of the Lyman Allyn museum in New London, erected two pioneering TOP: 130 Mohegan Avenue, New prefabricated houses. Promoted as “houses London (with the Winslow Ames of tomorrow,” they represented attempts to house to the left) LEFT: Built-in storage at Douglas Royalty address the housing shortages of the Great 130 Mohegan Avenue Depression by applying modern materi- als and industrial production techniques to homebuilding. Ames sold the houses to Connecticut College, but eventually they a flat roof, rooftop deck, open floor plan, attached garage, and the lack of applied orna- ment all were elements of the small house’s innovative design. fell into disrepair. In the 1990s, the col- But eventually the roof leaked, the steel lege restored one of them, known as the rusted, and the house was vacated. Now Winslow Ames house (see CPN, March/ the college has begun to study and restore April 1991). 130 Mohegan Avenue (see CPN, May/June The other house, located at 130 2007), with National Register designation Mohegan Avenue, manufactured by an important part of the process. In addi- General Houses, Inc., of Chicago, was tion, Connecticut College has received built of steel panels bolted together with- $100,000 in grants to continue with the out a frame. In addition to the use of steel, next phase of renovations to the steel house.

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10 Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010 New Listings on the National Register

Connecticut General Life Insurance Company Headquarters (the Wilde Building), Bloomfield Known today as the Wilde Building, the Connecticut General headquarters, built between 1954 and 1957, is one Advisors LLC MacRostie Historic Jen Hembree, of Connecticut’s foremost examples of International Style architecture. Its design was overseen by Gordon Bunshaft (1909-1990) of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the firm that in the years after World War II set the pattern for corporate offices, in America and throughout the world. In TOP: Wilde Building, Bloomfield addition to Bunshaft, the LEFT: Interior elevators building’s design includes Jen Hembree, MacRostie Historic Advisors LLC MacRostie Historic Jen Hembree, work by two other major figures, interior designer Florence Knoll (b. 1917) and sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988). The nomination, by Jen Hembree, of MacRostie Historic of suburbanization after World War II, a Advisors LLC, also says, “The building transformation of the American lifestyle further stands as a testament to former that included dispersal of residential neigh- Connecticut General Life Insurance borhoods, as well as industry, offices, and Company president Frazer B. Wilde’s commercial outlets from cities to outlying expectations for the company’s new head- areas.” New Website quarters, a building that would ‘epitomize The Wilde Building also represents one America’s early visions for the suburbs’ by of Connecticut’s most important preser- for Connecticut improving employee morale, self-esteem, vation success stories of the past decade. Archaeology physical health and productivity. A pio- In the late 1990s, Cigna Corporation neer in the suburban office campus, the (Connecticut General’s successor company) he Archaeological Society of Wilde Building represents the emergence continued on page 14 T Connecticut has a new website. According to Lucianne Lavin of the Institute for American Indian Studies, “The site has some really exciting and informative mate- rials, not only about Connecticut Archaeology, but also the Northeast, North America and beyond. You can buy Amazon books off the site, as well as past copies of the society’s Bulletins. The webmaster has even included the contents for each of those Bulletins, which go back 75 years.”

n Kitchens & Bathrooms n Period Additions n Carpentry & Millwork Visit the site at n Window Restoration n Plaster Restoration n Structural Repairs www.connarchaeology.org.

Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010 11 The Connecticut Trust’s Preservation Circle Members for 2009 The following people, organizations, and companies gave $100 or more to the Connecticut Trust during 2009. Graystone Group Advertising Ralph C. Bloom Greater Litchfield Preservation Trust Board & Beam We are grateful for their support. Nina Griscom and Leo Piraino The C. G. Bostwick Company , Inc. Mr. and Ms. Timothy Brady Chairman’s Circle, Preservation Partners, William Hosley and Christine Ermenc Carol Bramley $100,000 or above $500 or above Binney Huffman Anne Berlack Virginia W. Hughes Jay Bright, Architect Connecticut Commission on Mr. and Mrs. Peter Anderson Innerglass Window Systems Bristol Farm, LLC Culture & Tourism Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Anderson, Jr. Charles E. Janson Sara C. Bronin Connecticut Humanities Council Scott D. Bates Ann Jones Barbara D. Bryan Bi-Glass Systems The Hon. Natalie Ketchum Harold C. and Joyce C. Buckingham, Jr. Chairman’s Circle, Suzanne Braley Mr. and Mrs. Keith L. Knowlton Diane Keune $10,000 or above Lynne Brickley Robert H. and Carol Lenz John Canning & Co., Ltd. Robert E. Buckholz, Jr., and Lizanne Mr. and Mrs. Peter L. Malkin Marc Levine Jay E. Cantor Fontaine Mr. and Mrs. Rip Littig Mr. and Mrs. George Castell National Trust for Historic Preservation Nadine Cancell and Craig Curry Cornelia Cogswell Rossi Foundation, Inc. Alexandra D. Lyman Fred A. Cazel, Jr. William Crosskey, II, AIA Melanie Marks John Canning & Co. Mr. and Mrs. David W. Dangremond MayoCrowe, LLC Bebbie Chickering Chairman’s Circle, Leroy Diggs New Milford Trust for Historic Hope Childs $5,000 or above Walter M. Fiederowicz Preservation Mr. and Mrs. Herbert T. Clark, III R.J. Aley, Building Contractor Stanley G. Fullwood John D. and Patricia G. Noneman Constance Clement Threadmill Partners, LLC Peter Gulick City of Norwalk Michael D. Coe Mr. and Mrs. John E. Herzog Stanley Peck Mr. and Mrs. Ira G. Colby, III Ed and Helen Higgins Mrs. Robert B. O’Reilly Colchester Historical Society Chairman’s Circle, Mr. and Mrs. Jon T. Hirschoff $2,500 or above Redding Preservation Society John and Mimi Cole Rice, Davis, Daley & Krenz, Inc. Town of Redding Stephen King Serena and David Bechtel Mr. and Mrs. Lee G. Kuckro Betty Richards William G. Conway Malcolm Brown Elizabeth Lacy The Rev. Arthur B. Robertshaw, III Joyce M. Cropsey Inger M. Elliott Henry Lord Carolyne Roehm Abbott L. Cummings Theodore Ells Ruth Lord Philip Samponaro Custom Copper Faesy-Smith Architects Jim McLaughlin George E. Schoellkopf F. J. Dahill Co., Inc. Mohegan Sun Jeffrey Morgan Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Schwartz Maggie Daly Jeffry and Maryan Muthersbaugh Mr. and Mrs. David C. Oxman Paul H. Serenbetz Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Dannies, Jr. Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Inc. Mrs. Herbert W. Patterson FiFi M. Sheridan A. David Davis Robert E. Svensk Petra Construction Corporation The Hon. Robert R. Simmons MaryLou Davis, Inc. Jane K. Talamini Matthew Preston John A. Steffian Barbara S. Delaney Stephen D. Ramsey and Ann E. Jones Adele Strelchun Mary W. Delany Interior Design Chairman’s Circle, Schwartz & Hofflich Suzio/York Hill Mr. and Mrs. Philip C. Dennehy $1,000 or above Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler Lenora Tomporowski DiFrazio Services, LLC Edmund F. Schmidt Martha and James Alexander Patricia C. Young Helen Dimos Gary and Susie Singer Doc’s at the Village Barn, LLC The Anderson-Paffard Foundation, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Smith James Blansfield Heritage Partners, Barbara Donahue Theodore Tucci and Nancy A. Hronek Leo P. Donovan, Jr. Society of the Cincinnati Gail Wall $100 or above J. Barclay Collins, II William and Lisa Donovan Wank Adams Slavin Associates, LLP Mary Ann Agostini Dorothy Whitfield Historical Society Annette de la Renta Richard N. Wies Susani Amuan Mimi Findlay East Guilford Construction, Inc. David Wierdsma Deborah Mattison Angotti ECSU Foundation, Inc. General Cologne Re Deanne Winokur The Architects Michael Grunberg Dr. and Mrs. Malcolm S. Edgar, Jr. Mary B. Arnstein Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Edmiston Adrienne Farrar Houel Mr. and Mrs. Alan Aronow Kenneth Johnson Preservation Sponsors, Fallon & Wilkinson, LLC $250 or above Benjamin M. Baker Theresa M. Kidd & James K. Day Mary A. Falvey Ruth K. Balchunas Farmington Canal Rail to Trail Association Kronenberger and Sons Restoration, Inc. Cly Del Manufacturing Co. Barn and Timberframe Marta Jo Lawrence Nancy Cudd Thomas J. Farnham Barun K. Basu Joan L. Faust Peter and Susan Lawrence Carol Davidge Mr. Leonard J. Baum Charles T. Lee Ruth Ann and Joel N. Davis Linda Feczko Becker and Becker Associates, Inc. Fercodini Properties, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Edmond Morse F. Aldrich Edwards Robin M. Beckett Edward W. Munster Mr. and Mrs. Michael Elgee Robert B. Ficks, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Timothy R. Beeble Erik and Janet Fiebert Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Nissley Margaret McCutcheon Faber Mr. and Mrs. Drummond Bell Jane Vercelli Sally Ferguson Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Finkelstein S. A. Bendheim Company, Ltd. Susan G. Foote Martha B. Vida Jack Franzen Alan H. Bennett and Hiram P. Williams, Jr. Bruce Fraser Laurence M. Ford Susan McCulloch Bennett J. P. Franzen Associates Mr. and Mrs. Maxfield S. Gibbons Richard Bergmann Architects Melanie Ginter and John Lapides Peter and Lynn Friedman Anne Berlack Fusco Corporation

12 Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010 Fuss & O’Neill EnviroScience, LLC Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Malinowski Mr. and Mrs. John W. Sheppard Jr. Matching Gift Organizations Roger E. Galliher Jeanne R. Manning Maurer & Shepherd-Joyners, Inc. Aetna Foundation David T. Gilchrist Leonard H. Mark Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin R. Shute Jr. AT&T Gilley Design Associates, LLC Susan B. Matheson Pauline Simring AXA Foundation Aline C. Gillies Ingrid O. McCauley Marty Skrelunas Deutsche Bank Nancy S. Gilliland Jean and John McClellan Smith Edwards Architects, P.C. GE Foundation Barbara A. Glista Vincent McDermott Saint Bridget Church IBM International Foundation Michael Glynn Architects Dr. J. Bard McNulty Stonington Garden Club The McGraw-Hill Companies Mrs. F. Lawrence Goodwin, Jr. Pauline Menniti-Pizzo Structures North Consulting Engineers Mead Witter Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gordon Anita L. Mielert J. Tallman Builders, LLC Pfizer Foundation Philip Gorrivan Magdalena Minguens Susan K. Tepas Random House, Inc Carol Gould Edward T. Mohylowski Renard Thompson The Stanley Works Gardner Graves Monarch Painting Mr. and Mrs. Alexander L. Thomson Rowan A. Greer Monument Conservation Collaborative Timber Frame Barn Conversions, LLC Cheryl Gregory Andrew and Gail Morris Terry and Helle Tondro In-kind Donations Robert Gregson P. L. Mountzoures, Inc. A. Morris Tooker R.J. Aley, Building Contractor H. Clark Griswold Mystic River Foundry, LLC John B. Toomey, Jr., and James L. Dwire Town of Ashford Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library Nelson & Edwards Company Mr. and Mrs. David T. Totman MacDonald & Co. Painting Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Hall Architects, LLC Tour de Force Designs Old Lyme Historical Society David D. Harlan Architects, LLC Herbert S. Newman Doris Townshend Slater Museum Patricia L. Harper Elizabeth Normen Trinity College Library Karsten Harries Thomas Gribbin, AIA , LEED, AP George B. Uihlein Barn Survey Volunteers Robert J. Harrity, Jr. Brendan and Catherine O’Dwyer Paul Van Der Stricht Robert E. Hatch, AIA Old House Parts Company Abigail A. Van Slyck and Susan Billing Neil Hauck Architects P.C. Olde New England Salvage Company Mitchell R. Favreau Betty Bragdon Richard Hegel Mr. and Mrs. Cormac O’Malley Roberta Vincent Hill Bullard David and Elise Hergen The Paul Foundation L. Wagner and Associates Ruth Cutler Heritage Building & Design Bruce B. Peabody Wank Adams Slavin Esther DaRosa Richard Hershner George Penniman Architects, LLC Wendy Weaver Chaix Mike Hayden James Heym Edith Pestana Jeanne Webb Kathleen Healy Marcia Hinckley E. Anthony Petrelli Dorothy Curran Stephanie Lessard Historic Wooster Square Pillar to Post Professional Home Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Weinstein Catherine Lynch Lisa K. Holmes Inspection Wertheimer & Associates Carol Mancini Housing Enterprises Plumb Memorial Library West River Restoration Barbara Metsack Alice W. Houston Raphael L. Podolsky Anne E. and Gary J. Westerman Anne Roberts Pierson Hudson Valley Preservation Donald Poland Westville Village Renaissance Alliance Phyllis Portren Richard L. Hughes, III Debra Pond White Silo Farm Cherie Robinson Mary B. Hobler Hyson Preserve Rhode Island Ellen R. Wigren Julie Rosen Mark S. Ingalls David M. Rathbun Bradford and Mary Wilkinson Valerie Rosen Mr. and Mrs. John W. James Mr. and Mrs. Paul W. Reiss James and Kathleen Williams William Scranton Norman S. Jason Mr. and Mrs. Edwin T. Rice Norma E. Williams Carol Scranton Pamela Jerome Mr. and Mrs. Norman Rich Willington Historical Society, Inc. Johnson Millwork, Inc. Deborah S. Robinson Wiss, Janney, Elstner, Associates, Inc. Stephen J. Joncus, AIA - Architect Philip Marshall Gary and Irene Wolfe Jean R. Kelley James W. Rook and Susan Ackerman Ruth Woodford Great care has been taken to ensure Kemper Associates, Architects Stewart G. Rosenblum Richard T. Wright that all donations are accurately Megan Macdonald Charles S. Rotenberg, AICP Judge Dianne E. Yamin acknowledged. If an error has been Meghan and George Knight Ilene Rothschild Mr. and Mrs. Wick York made, please notify our office. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey L. Koizim Elizabeth and Richard Rumohr Barbara Young Dorothy N. Konecny The Russell Agency, LLC Mr. and Mrs. Joe L. Zaring Jeanne Konecny James J. Ryan Margaret Zellers Please remember Konowitz, Kahn and Company, P.C. Jane Fearer Safer Mr. and Ms. William Zielenbach the Connecticut John J. Kriz Lincoln Sander Bob Zoni Trust in your will. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur L. Lathrop Rob Sanders Architects Charles N. Leach, Jr. Sanford and Hawley Mr. and Mrs. Garry Leonard Mr. and Mrs. Richard V. Santoro Mr. and Mrs. Jack Leonardo Philip H. Schaeffer and Mr. and Mrs. Lee H. Levey, AIA Irene S. Auerbach Fred Lord IV and Prisilla Pfeiffer Anne F. Schenck Linda Lorimer Allison Schieffelin Lost Art Joinery, LLC Pamela E. Searle Thomas Lovejoy Mr. and Mrs. Fred Sette Catherine Lynn and Vincent Scully Mark and Ami Shadle Martha Lyon Landscape Architecture, LLC Shanley Associates Mr. and Mrs. Timothy MacDonald Mr. and Mrs. Jack W. Shannahan Anne G. Maletta Alan Shayne

Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010 13 Simsbury, cont’d from page 9 Wilde Building, cont’d from page 11

within the town who decided to demolish the building in promoted historic order to redevelop its 600-acre prop- preservation, land con- erty. The proposal elicited widespread servation, recreation, opposition: Hartford architects Tyler sports, entertainment, Smith and Jared Edwards organized shopping, and cultural Save Connecticut General to advocate events, a process that Imagine It Framed Wagner, Rich for preservation, and the building took time. According made the Connecticut Trust’s Most to Condon, “Real Important Threatened Historic Places progress in communi- list in 2000 and the National Trust ties is almost always for Historic Preservation’s Eleven Most incremental, and that Endangered Historic Places list in 2001. may be the lesson In the meantime, National Trust staff from Simsbury.” members kept working with Cigna, The National and eventually the company decided Trust has published to continue to use the building for its its Dozen Distinctive operations (unfortunately, Cigna did Presenting the certificate: First Selectman Mary Glassman; Alicia Leuba, Destinations for ten demolish the Emhart building, another years, as a way of National Trust for Historic Preservation; Anita Mielert, Connecticut Advisor to the National Trust; State Representative Linda Schofield corporate headquarters by SOM on promoting visitation the property). Today, although the to communities that meadows that once surrounded it have offer cultural and recreational experiences For more information, visit these web sites: been transformed into a golf course, the different from those found at the typical National Trust for Historic Preservation, Wilde Building remains as a gleaming vacation destination. Simsbury is the first www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/ epitome of the best of the suburban idea Connecticut town to win the designation. travel/dozen-distinctive-destinations/ of the 1950s. Other sites listed in 2010 include Saint Town of Simsbury, www.town.simsbury.ct.us Louis, Missouri; Sitka, Alaska; Rockland, Maine; and “The Crooked Road,” Simsbury Main Street Partnership, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. www.shopsimsbury.com

Preservation Circle JOIN THE CONNECTICUT TRUST! ■ Chairman’s Circle $ 1,000 ■ Preservation Patron $ 500 Name ■ Mr. ■ Mrs. ■ Ms. ■ Miss ______■ Circuit Rider Sponsor $ 250 ■ Heritage Partner $ 100 Street______Basic Membership ■ Business $ 100 City ______State ______Zip______■ Non-profit/Municipal $ 75 ■ Family $ 50 Telephone (______)______■ Individual $ 40 Email______

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14 Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010 Boothe Memorial Park, cont’d from page 16 C. Wigren economy, meant to be bitter or tongue-in- cheek? Visitors must decide for themselves. Blacksmith shop (late 1930s): a frame building with 44 sides and three steep, gabled spires—or perhaps, false flues. Basilica: a sunken garden converted to a religious site in 1931 with the addi- tion of a rock-built pulpit whose vertical stone ridges defy gravity (and why is there a hitching ring embedded in it?). To the architectural historian Elizabeth Mills Brown, the Boothe Park buildings weren’t merely funny. Combining a lack of architectural training with varied stylistic elements and a sense of humor, they con- stitute folk art. And, like any work of art, they say something. But what? “Some people find this place delight- The Basilica fully quaint and amusing,” she wrote. “But some people find it vaguely disturb- urgently saying something that we haven’t we will understand why two men of not ing, seeming by its very strangeness to be yet been able to read. There is such an very great means spent untold dollars and intensity to these odd years building, largely with their own buildings that perhaps hands, this elaborate complex of buildings some day architectural for which they themselves historians will apply to had no practical use.” this compound the same Boothe Memorial Park is located at sort of mathematical, 5800 Main Street, in the Putney section philosophical, astronomi- of Stratford. It is listed on the National cal, and religious analysis Register of Historic Places. that they have applied to dolmens, Druid circles, For more information, visit Gothic churches, round http://boothememorialpark.org/ temples, and numberless other mysterious struc- tures. And then perhaps

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Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010 15 Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation NON-PROFIT ORG. 940 Whitney Avenue U.S. POSTAGE Hamden, CT 06517-4002 PAID NEW HAVEN, CT Phone: (203) 562-6312 PERMIT NO. 72 Fax: (203) 773-0107 Email: [email protected] Web: www.cttrust.org Address Service Requested Forwarding and Return Postage Guaranteed

Boothe Memorial Park, onnecticut Stratford CSnapshots

ined up along the brink of a Wigren C. L steep hill overlooking the Housatonic River, the buildings of Boothe Park make up one of Connecticut’s oddest public sites, enough to make any passer-by stop and gawk. They were the work of David and Stephen Boothe, who were born here, on land that their family had owned since the 17th century, in 1867 and 1869. In addition to farming, the brothers operated an insurance business, dealt in farm equipment, and managed real estate holdings. The formation of the park began in 1914, when they opened a small museum of agriculture and local history in one of their barns. The Museum and the Technocratic Cathedral After their mother died in 1919, the brothers expanded their museum and embarked on other build- Technocratic Cathedral (1933-1934): a two-story structure ing projects. The early buildings are conventional, if markedly of stacked redwood boards with pagoda-like tiered roofs. The old-fashioned, but the later ones became increasingly eccentric. Boothes described it in an undated flyer (ellipses original): Some of the principal structures are: EVERY stick of timber, piece of board in this ENTIRE struc- Boothe homestead: the family farmhouse, built around ture will lay FLAT and be fastened with half inch galv. dow- 1840 and altered in 1914. A stained-glass transom unrealisti- els...absolutely flat...therefore metal windows will be used. cally proclaims it “the oldest homestead in America.” F-L-A-T YES...Depression Style, and being built of California Caretaker’s house (1921-22): an example of the brothers’ Redwood...RED...Depression Color as per your ledgers of the fairly normal—although by then old-fashioned—version of past few years. the Queen Anne style. Remember...FLAT...and RED. We know all about it. Well, Museum: a 19th-century barn converted to a museum in you commemorate disasters and conflagrations...Why not 1914. The tower came from a church in Massachusetts; the have a MONUMENT to DEAD DEPRESSION. brothers are supposed to have gotten it in trade for a carpet Are these wry references to red ink, so reminiscent of today’s sweeper. continued on page 15

16 Connecticut Preservation News, March/April 2010