Union Station

 The most iconic building in Waterbury is about to enter a new era in its history. The Republican-American newspaper has been sold, and now the building is being sold as well (asking price is just under $5 million). Before the sale was announced, it looked like the building was going to be converted into apartments with restaurants or other types of businesses on the first floor. Whether or not that still happens will depend on the new owner. 

The future of the building is unknown, but I can tell you a bit about its past. Although best known now as the Rep-Am building, it was originally Union Station, constructed as a station on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad line. Construction was completed in 1909.

Postcard View of Union Station

When Union Station was built, it was the main entrance to Waterbury. Nearly everyone traveled by train, which meant that the train station was one of the most important and busiest buildings in town.

 The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company's president was John H. Whittemore, who lived in Naugatuck. Whittemore had built a vast fortune for himself in the iron industry, and he felt an obligation to use some of that fortune to improve the quality of life of his community. In Naugatuck, Whittemore hired the McKim, Mead & White architectural firm to design the Green and surrounding buildings, creating a beautiful town center. Among the buildings he sponsored was the Whittemore Library, a gorgeous library intended for the enjoyment of the general public. Whittemore also had McKim, Mead & White design the Salem School and the Hillside School in Naugatuck, giving the town's children beautiful public schools (Salem School, sadly, will be shuttered at the end of this school year).

Whittemore hired McKim, Mead & White to design Waterbury's Union Station. This was the second Waterbury building Whittemore commissioned by this firm. The first was the Buckingham Building, constructed at the opposite end of Grand Street, where the Buckingham Parking Garage is now. The Buckingham Building was intended as a source of revenue for Waterbury Hospital, which collected rent from the various tenants in the building.

Postcard View of The Buckingham Building

 

The Union Station project encountered initial resistance on the part of Waterbury’s political leaders. The city’s share of the construction financing became a major issue during the election of 1905. The mayoral and aldermanic candidates opposed to the construction project won the election, seemingly dooming the project. After the election, however, the mayor and the board of aldermen reversed their position and voted in favor of funding the construction.

Union Station was designed by William S. Richardson, a partner in the McKim, Mead & White firm. The firm was run primarily by new partners, Richardson included, after the death of Stanford White in 1906. The original design for Union Station did not include a tower. Plans were modified in 1907 to reflect the popularity of Italian Renaissance architecture with a tower inspired by the Torre del Mangia in Sienna, Italy.

Original design for Union Station

 

The contract for building Union Station was awarded to Horton & Hemenway, a Boston-based firm, for $200,000 in 1907. The contract for all of the ornamental iron work in the building was awarded to a Meriden company, Bradley & Hubbard, which also won the contract for all of the lighting fixtures, gas and electric. (As described in the Meriden Morning Record newspaper on July 13, 1909)

Construction in progress on Union Station. Collection of Mattatuck Museum.

 

The new Union Station opened in 1909. The building was (and is) 350 feet long with two platforms, one for northbound and one for southbound passengers. Each platform was 800 feet long. The tower stood 247 feet above the platforms. The clock dials measured sixteen feet in diameter and were illuminated by electric lights. The clock mechanism was supplied by the E. Howard Clock Co.

Advertisement in The Architectural Review, December 1909

Upper floors held offices while the ground floor had the waiting room, which was furnished with high-backed mission style seats and ornamented with mosaic tiled flooring and tapestry bricked, arched ceilings. A separate “reclining” room for women and a smoking room for men were located near the toilets. 

The waiting room when the building was new.
Illustrated in A Monograph of the Work of McKim, Mead & White, Vol. 4.

The rapid growth in automobile use led to the decline of the railroad. By the late 1940s, Union Station was no longer needed by the railroad, and the building was sold to the Republican-American. The newspaper renovated the building, adding floors to the former waiting room, and moved into it in 1952.

The railroad line continues operations today, but only for southbound travel. There is only one platform and no waiting room. The station was improved with renovations a few years ago, but adding an indoor waiting area and a spot to get coffee would be great. Personally, I'd love to see this become a transit hub for Waterbury, with the bus exchange relocated to the train station so people don't have to walk four blocks from the bus to the train.

 

As the newspaper business changed, the Republican-American's use of the building shrank. The Pape family, which owned the newspaper, took care of the building's structural needs, but left upper floors whose offices weren't needed untouched. I was fortunate to be able to tour some of the building and climb the stairs to the top of the tower in 2012. Here are some of the photos I took that day.

 

 

Me, resting after climbing all those stairs.

 

And here's a couple of shots of the view from the tower.

The Union Station clock tower can be seen from miles away. It's a symbol of Waterbury, a familiar presence that greets us when we return from out of town. If you're asked to think of something that represents Waterbury, odds are you'll think of this building. Here's hoping it continues as a much-loved building for centuries to come.