Connecticut Architecture. Christopher Wigren

      PREFACE

      Connecticut’s architecture tells many kinds of stories. Whether we are longtime residents, recent transplants, or visitors, we know the state first through its built environment—its buildings, landscapes, neighborhoods, and communities that embody the state’s history and are essential components of its present-day character.

      This book aims to introduce readers to Connecticut’s built environment through stories about one hundred places, chosen to present a cross section of the varied architecture found in the state. It is not intended to be a “best of” state architecture. While I have tried to achieve a balance of well-known places and lesser-known ones, any reader with a passing knowledge of the state will find many favorite works missing. Rather, they were chosen to illustrate the wide variety of Connecticut’s architecture, in terms of periods, building types, disciplines, geographical distribution, and expressive qualities. Above all, they were chosen because they had good stories to tell—about how they came to be, about the people who created or used them, about what they meant and how they fit into the state’s overall development.

      I hope that this book will provide new ways to understand the state’s history and character, and 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

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