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| Melissa Green, co-chair of the Grassroots Grants Committee, speaking at the Silas Bronson Library |
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| 483 West Main Street -- BEFORE |
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| 483 West Main Street -- AFTER Window casings repaired, paint colors match brickwork, storefront matches the look of the building and is both elegant and inviting. |
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| Bank Street buildings -- BEFORE |
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| Bank Street buildings -- AFTER |
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| 58 Bank Street, Before and After The stark white window casings have been replaced with better quality windows that blend better with the building; lintels matching the third floor window lintels have been added above the second floor windows; and a new storefront, with a more inviting store entrance, has been installed. This building, incidentally, has a wonderful full-wall skylight on the third floor. |
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| 60 Bank Street, Before and After How exciting is this? The bizarre 1960s accordion facade was removed. Hiding behind it was a gorgeous facade, original windows intact, along with suburb architectural details. Holes created for the installation of the accordion piece were repaired and a new storefront was added. |
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| 60 Bank Street, detail Quill pen, ink, and scroll. From when there was a bookstore here. |
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| 60 Bank Street, detail All this was hiding under the '60s accordion. |
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| 64 Bank Street, Before and After Another fabulous discovery: the old Sugenheimer windows and logo were hiding behind the ugly panels. New paint colors were chosen to work with the Sugenheimer logo. The details of the pediment (the woodwork at the top of the building) really pop with the contrasting red and black paint. Much more attractive than the blah brown paint. The new storefront will be installed soon; I'm too excited about this building to wait any longer to share these images. |
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| 64 Bank Street, detail The Sugenheimer window. Looks great, even in this rainy shot. |
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| 70 Bank Street, Before and After New storefront, more elegant in design than the previous storefront. |
At one of the main gateways into downtown Waterbury is the Georgian Revival style 471 West Main Street, constructed in 1908 or 1909 and known for most of the 20th century as Finnan’s Block. It was one of many apartment blocks or buildings that were constructed along West Main Street in the decade leading up to World War I. Waterbury’s population was increasing rapidly during this era, as more and more people came here to work in the factories. Finnan’s Block is a quintessential example of this type of building, originally with grocers, a tobacconist and a saloon on the first floor, providing the basic amenities for the apartment dwellers on the upper floors. The building is currently undergoing extensive interior renovations, improving the apartments and restoring the original hardwood floors.
On Grand Street, the Bierce Block at No. 142 was constructed after the devastation of the 1902 Fire. A Georgian Revival style structure, it was built in 1905 for Edward E. Wilson, mill superintendent for the Tracy Brothers construction company, which was responsible for the construction of many homes throughout Waterbury, and sold to Russell Bierce in 1906. The building originally had two finials on top of the cornice. The first floor of the building became a restaurant in 1931 with the opening of the Brass City Grill, modeled after the Brass Rail restaurant on Broadway in New York City and boasting a 42-foot long mahogany bar and murals of the brass factories. In 1946, the restaurant re-opened as the Turf Restaurant. Although the ownership has naturally changed over the years, The Turf is still in operation today and has been recently renovated by its current owner.
77 Bank Street was named the Russell Building after its first owner, attorney James Russell. Russell was the father of actress Rosalind Russell, most famous for her roles in “His Girl Friday” (co-starring Cary Grant) and “Auntie Mame”. The Russell Building was constructed in 1929 in the Art Deco style, and remained in the Russell family until it was purchased by its present owner.
On the corner of Center Street, is 68-70 Bank Street, which has already begun the process of renovation, most noticeably removing the concrete panels stuck on the buildings during Urban Renewal. This impressive building was constructed by the Knights of Pythias in 1905, to replace their Hall which had been destroyed, along with many other downtown buildings, in the Fire of 1902. Pythian Hall was relocated to East Main Street in 1913, and the building became known as Warner’s Block, housing an optometrist and retailers on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors. As you can see from the banner image, the building is being renovated for luxury apartments--if only they had done this three years ago, when I was looking for a downtown rental!
Two of the three buildings were constructed for John Milton Burrall, a cabinetmaker who came to Waterbury in 1849. Burrall built 60 Bank Street for his furniture and undertaking business in 1852. At the same time, James Ayers, owner of Waterbury’s leading jewelry store, constructed a matching building alongside Burrall’s at 54 Bank Street. Three years later, Burrall constructed 64 Bank Street.
54 and 60 Bank Street, while separate structures, were designed with an ornate cornice that made the two buildings appear as one. The cornice was similar to the one still visible on 64 Bank Street, but a little lower and without a pediment. All three buildings featured a row of three windows on each of the two upper floors. While none of the remaining visible windows looks exactly as they did originally (double-hung with a “grill pattern” of multiple panes), those at 64 Bank Street are closest.
Many modifications were made to these buildings over the years. By 1914, the second story of 54 Bank Street featured a central projecting bay window, while the windows on the second and third stories of 60 Bank Street were partially covered by signage. 54 Bank Street had become home to Adt Photography Studio during the late 19th century, and the upper floor of that building still boasts a remarkable and magnificent north-facing studio skylight, ideal for any artist. During the era of Urban Renewal in the 1960s and ‘70s, the façade of 60 Bank Street was completely obscured by a concrete facing, while the second story of 64 Bank Street was hidden behind a large signage backing. These modifications were intended to give the buildings a fresh and modern look, but they obscure the true beauty of the buildings, making them look tired and worn.
