Connecticut Historic Preservation

Former Derby Savings Bank // 1893

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The former Derby Savings Bank stands at the corner of Main and Caroline streets and is one of the many handsome commercial buildings in Derby, Connecticut, which have been preserved. Designed in the Romanesque and Classical Revival styles, the building is adorned by terracotta, brick, and brownstone, with medallions depicting the date of incorporation (1843) and the date of this building (1893) which flank the Palladian window at the second floor. The bank occupied this structure from the date of its completion in 1893 until it built a new banking facility farther down Main Street in 1923. The bank again built a new building during the period of urban renewal in Derby’s downtown in 1976 when the modern structure at Main and Elizabeth streets was completed. The Modern bank is presently used as the City Hall.

Randall House // 1927

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

This handsome stone mansion in Derby, Connecticut, was built by industrialist Walter Randall (1868-1949) and his bride, Olive Vouletti Whitlock Randall (1870-1938), in 1927 on a tract of about 200 acres of farmland. Olive was a granddaughter of Isaac Merritt Singer, the inventor of the first practical sewing machine for home use, which made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. It is unclear as to who the architect was, but the stone residence was built in an English Tudor/Arts and Crafts style, possibly from stones taken from the 200-acre estate. The property was sold in 1950 to Harold and Ida Yudkin, who developed much of the land into a shopping center and housing development, but maintained this stone house and a smaller parcel surrounding it. That smaller parcel was purchased in the 2010s by a developer who restored the old house, and developed a small cul-de-sac of “green” homes on the aptly named, Singer Village Drive.

Immanuel St. James Episcopal Church // 1843

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The Gothic Revival style Immanuel St. James Episcopal Church of Derby is a landmark example of the style in this part of Connecticut and serves as the eastern anchor to the Birmingham Green in town. The church dates to 1843 and was built by The stone church was was built by stonemason, Harvey Johnson and Nelson Hinman, a carpenter. The land for the church was donated by Sheldon Smith and Anson G. Phelps, wealthy industrialists in town. The building originally had a wooden steeple, which was replaced by the present stone belfry in 1853. The church merged with another area congregation, which together, have preserved this significant structure, though the communications antennae on the battlements on the belfry is unfortunate.

Dr. Albert Phillips House // c.1875

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Dr. Albert W. Phillips (1838-1929) was born in Marcellus, New York, the son of immigrant parents from England. He studied medicine in the Midwest and later opened a medical practice in Rockport, Illinois, but in response to President Lincoln’s first call for volunteers, he returned to New York and enlisted as a private in the Union cause. He served as assistant surgeon with the 149th N. Y. Volunteers, where he saw action in many battles, including at Gettysburg. After the war, Dr. Phillips moved to the rapidly developing industrial city of Derby, Connecticut, where he opened a family practice. By the 1870s, he built this Stick style residence on Caroline Street. While working as a doctor of great esteem, Dr. Phillips was elected as the fifth mayor of Derby in 1901 and in 1903, was elected as a state senator.His home on Caroline Street in Derby maintains its unique entry porch and trusswork in the gables.

Smith-Curtiss House // c.1714

Buildings of New England2 Comments

The Smith-Curtiss House, which is possibly the oldest extant building in Derby, Connecticut, has sat vacant and decaying for years and is owned by the State of Connecticut. Believed to have been built sometime between 1714 and 1740, this historic saltbox farmhouse at 411 Hawthorne Avenue is slowly decaying due to lack of maintenance and funding. Early ownership is difficult to determine, but by the 19th century, the property was owned by Ms. Alice E. Curtiss. The old estate was sold by Ms. Curtiss in 1913 to Frances Osborne Kellogg, a businesswoman, philanthropist and environmentalist, as part of her 350-acre dairy farm and land-conservation holdings. The Smith-Curtiss House was used as a residence for the herdsmen who ran the farm nearby. Before her death in 1956, Frances deeded the property to the state as a public park, and allowed her head herdsman life-occupancy of this house for the remainder of his life. The State of Connecticut assumed possession of this house in 1981. The building has suffered from deferred maintenance since this period, with the State attempting to lease the building to tenants. I hope that local and statewide preservation groups can mobilize to secure grants and funding to restore this important property.

Derby United Methodist Church // 1894

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The former Derby United Methodist Church (now the Ghana United Methodist Church) is located at the northern edge of the Town Green in Derby, Connecticut, and is a great example of a ecclesiastical building constructed in the Romanesque Revival style. Its large round arches, tall square tower, and heavy detailing in brick and brownstone place it in the Romanesque Revival mode, all with stained glass throughout. The church was built in 1894 and dedicated in early 1895. The stately church building was designed by George Washington Kramer (1847-1938), an architect who designed many Methodist churches in the midwest and east coast.

Ousatonic Water Company Offices // c.1880

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The Housatonic River (also spelled the Ousatonic) is, after the Connecticut and Merrimac, the most powerful river in New England. Its location in Derby, Connecticut, was seen as a benefit to local businessmen, who after the Civil War, created the Ousatonic Water Company. The new organization made up of industrialists and businessmen, set off to complete the Ousatonic Dam (on the Housatonic River) towards the end of 1870. The dam precipitated the rapid development of the industrial villages of Birmingham (Derby) and Shelton. Aptly built on the corner of Main and Water streets, this handsome Italianate style masonry building was constructed by the 1880s for the Ousatonic Water Company for their company offices. The company was absorbed into the Connecticut Light & Power Company in 1927. The former offices have since been repurposed for a local business.

Sterling Opera House // 1889

Buildings of New England3 Comments

The Sterling Opera House in Derby, Connecticut, is a landmark performing arts venue and civic center in the state and significant as a rare and well-preserved building constructed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. Built in 1889, the building is named for Charles A. Sterling, founder the former Derby-based Sterling Piano Company, who paid for much of the costs of construction and design for the building. For his namesake building, Charles Sterling hired architect H. Edwards Ficken, who also  assisted with the designs for the famous Carnegie Hall in Manhattan, New York, to furnish plans for the unique building. The Opera House was built to serve both political and entertainment needs for the community, with the lower two levels and the basement serving as City Hall offices and the police station from when it opened up until 1965. The auditorium was used for hundreds of shows and live musical performances in its day, with many world-famous performers such as Harry Houdini and Red Skelton taking the stage at the Sterling. Shows were held up until 1945 when the curtain closed for the last time. In the past decades the building has been largely vacant and kept alive by grants and a dream by the city to preserve this significant landmark, possibly for reincorporation as the City Hall. 

Second Congregational Church of Derby // 1845

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The Second Congregational Church of Derby was built in 1845 by members of the Birmingham Congregational Society, who grew tired of travelling across the river to the First Congregational Church in town. The present “downtown” of Derby was originally known as Birmingham and grew as the industrial center in the city, which historically was much larger than it is today. The Birmingham Congregation had this edifice constructed in the Greek Revival style, and it was added onto in 1859, 1889, and underwent alterations in 1915, when the facade was altered with Colonial Revival flourishes. The additions to the facade include the Palladian window, elliptical leaded window in the pediment, and panels with swags and wreaths. The top of the steeple was damaged by Hurricane Gloria in 1985 and removed, and was replicated in 2021.

First Congregational Church of Derby // 1821

Buildings of New England1 Comment

Derby, Connecticut was settled by colonists in 1642 as a trading post with local Native people under the name Paugasset. The community was eventually named after Derby, England, in 1675 and incorporated 100 years later in 1775. Like all communities in New England, it was required to have a meeting house, where religious services and town business would take place. Derby had its first meeting house built in 1681, a rustic, square structure which was eventually replaced with a new meeting house on “The Common”, now the East Derby Green. The building served its purpose for over 100 years, with sermons led by Rev. Daniel Humphreys (1706-1787) for 54 years. In that church, his son, David Humphreys (1752-1818) was baptized, he later became George Washington’s aide and most trusted general, later becoming the first presidential speech-writer. That meetinghouse was eventually outgrown, and the present Congregational Church of Derby was built on its present site on the eastern banks of the Naugatuck River in 1821. The Federal style church building was built by Williams and Barnum from Brookfield, who likely utilized plan books by Asher Benjamin for the finishes. The Congregational Church of Derby has watched as the commercial “downtown” of the city shifted to the other side of the river and has stood here for over 200 years as a landmark of “old Derby”.