USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut, Volume I > Part 19
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Father Curtin was born in New Britain, April 1, 1856. He was educated in St. Mary's Parochial School in that city, from which he was graduated in 1872. In the fall of the same year he entered Holy Cross College and was graduated in 1877. He entered the Grand Seminary at Montreal in the same year, and was ordained by the Most Rev. Monsignor Fabre, archbishop of Montreal, on December 18, 1880.
His first appointment in this diocese was as assistant to Rev. J. T. McMahon, pastor of St. Mary's Church and missions at East Hartford. On November 25, 1882, he was appointed assistant to Rev. J. J. Furlong of St. Bernard's Church and missions of Rockville. He was appointed pastor of St. Francis Xavier's Church and missions in New Milford, and on December 3, 1895, he came to St. Francis Xavier's Church of Waterbury, where he remained until his death.
Father Curtin was a man of superior mental ability and of a genial and friendly disposition. At Holy Cross College he was a brilliant student and went through the curriculum of seven years in six. He was the manager of the first baseball team that ever represented Holy Cross and took great pride in follow- ing up the success of the college in athletics. He received the degree of B. A. at Holy Cross College, and the degree of S. T. B. at the Grand Seminary in Montreal.
He said his first mass in Waterbury in the Auditorium, in which place the members of his congregation first gathered. He then built the church on Wash- ington Street, which is now known as Xaverien Hall. In 1905, he built the present church of St. Francis Xavier. Under his care the parish grew from a mere handful of people to the present size, which has a congregation of over three thousand people.
M'GIVNEY DAY
On June 8, 1901, the Knights of Columbus of Greater New York made a pilgrimage to Waterbury to celebrate high mass in honor of the late Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the order. Father William J. Slocum delivered the sermon of the day. At its close the pilgrims conducted a service at the grave of Father McGivney in St. Joseph's Cemetery.
The order was founded at New Haven in 1882, while Father McGivney, who was a native of Waterbury, was stationed in that city. It was the solution of the problem of establishing a national beneficiary organization which would work in conformity with the levels of the Roman Catholic Church. It was on April 27. 1885, when the total membership of the order was still less than a thousand that Waterbury Catholics organized Sheridan Council largely as a tribute to the founder, who was one of the notable priests produced by the Immaculate Con- ception Parish.
A feature of the pilgrimage was the presence of two members of the Mc- Givney family. Rev. John J. and Rev. P. J. McGivney, both of whom spoke on the order of the Knights of Columbus.
CHAPTER X
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE OF A QUARTER CENTURY
BUCKINGHAM BUILDING, UNION DEPOT, CITY HALL, CHASE OFFICE BUILDING AND WATERBURY CLUB-LINCOLN BUILDING PLANNED BY FAMOUS NEW YORK ARCHI- TECTS-COURTHOUSE PLANNED BY WILFRED E. GRIGGS, ONE OF MOST BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURES IN NEW ENGLAND-FINE BUSINESS BLOCKS AND RESIDENCES, SUPERB WORK OF LOCAL, ARCHITECTS-TIIE VARIOUS ARCHITECTURAL PERIODS AND BUILD- INGS THAT ILLUSTRATE THEM-WATERBURY'S HIOUSING PROBLEM.
Waterbury is ideally located for architectural effects. Its wooded hills, rising gradually from a wide basin, have given its home builders and designers oppor- tunities of which they were not slow to take advantage. The effort in the last quarter century to make it a city beautiful has been thoroughly co-operative in the business section as well. There has never been any serious opposition to the widening of important thoroughfares, such as Bank and Grand streets, nor to the erection of city buildings of which its people may well be proud. No finer architectural effects can be found in New England than the present City Hall or the Waterbury Hospital, designed on classical lines by Robert Bacon of New York, which in its Parthenon-like facade brings out ideally the beauties of the strikingly effective location.
Not alone have its own architects risen to the occasion, but they have been ably assisted by the best talent in America.
McKim, Mead & White, the architects of some of the greatest buildings in America, planned the Union Station of the New Haven Railroad, a fine Italian Renaissance effect with a tower following the famous Campanile in Siena, Italy. The Buckingham Block, on Grand and Bank streets, was also designed by this famous firm.
Of outside work, either finished or under way, the buildings designed by Cass Gilbert of New York will add most to the architectural beauty of Water- bury. The first of these is, of course, the new City Hall on Grand Street, a structure planned along Colonial lines. The others which are now under way are the Chase office building at Grand and Leavenworth streets, and the new Waterbury Club. In both of these structures, as with the City Hall, Mr. Gilbert is giving Waterbury buildings that will class with the finest in America. In the Chase office building, he has conformed to a great extent to the general lines of the City Hall Building on the opposite side of the street. Its effect is to be colonial. It will be four stories, with a 243-foot frontage on Grand Street and 98 on Church and Leavenworth streets. The exterior will be of limestone and granite construction, with high fluted columns. The interior will be largely marble trim. The Waterbury Club Building is also Colonial in style.
The Lincoln Building, on Field Street opposite the City Hall, constructed for the United Charities and recently occupied, was also planned by Cass Gilbert.
The American Brass Company's massive office building, completed in 1913, was built from plans made by Trowbridge & Livingston of New York. It is of
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brick and steel construction, fireproof throughout, and its long, high corridor with its domed center is an exceedingly artistic effect. The building is constructed on a partial crescent.
But the list of outside architects who have had a hand in the planning of business blocks, churches, schools and houses in Waterbury is a long one, and will appear as the article progresses. To local architects the greatest credit is due, for most of its structures are home products in which its citizens take a commendable pride.
The work of Wilfred E. Griggs and of Theodore B. Peck is especially notable. These may be termed the deans of the profession in Waterbury, and their work adorns not alone the business and residence sections of this city, but is in evidence in the suburban districts in the form of attractive country homes.
Perhaps the most pretentious single building is the courthouse on Kendrick Street, from the plans of Wilfred E. Griggs, and completed in 1905. Its general style is renaissance, and its pillars give it a majestic appearance. As a matter of fact, it needs a wider street to bring out its many architectural beauties. In the same year he planned the five-story Elton Hotel, which replaced the old Scovill home, one of the best illustrations of Colonial architecture in the city. It is to be regretted that the building was not moved to another location.
The largest and finest equipped office structure in Waterbury is the Lilley Building, eight stories high. This was completed July 1, 1912, and is of fireproof construction, with reinforced concrete floors and partitions of gypsum blocks. Its cost was approximately a quarter of a million. It contains 2 large stores and 150 offices, and with its double electric elevator service is the most modern of the buildings in its class in Waterbury. This also is from the plans of Mr. Griggs.
The Masonic Temple, completed in 1911, the four-story Boys' Club on Cottage Place, built in 1901, the Odd Fellows' Hall, dedicated in 1895, and built on Venetian Gothic lines, the Young Men's Christian Association, opened in 1892, which was a beautiful addition to the architecture of the Green, and the Mattatuck Historical Society Museum are among the public buildings of which plans were furnished by Mr. Griggs.
To Theodore B. Peck also belongs the credit of much of the best architectural work in Waterbury. Apothecaries' Hall, which was opened in 1894, is still one of the finest of the city's business blocks. It is ideally located, with its frontage at the junction of South Main and Bank streets, the wide open space bringing out all the beauties of Mr. Peck's plans. Though built in the earlier period of this quarter century, it is as impressive as any of those of more recent construction.
The Waterbury American Building on Grand Street, built in the same period, is from the plans of Mr. Peck. It was a matter of congratulation that it went through the conflagration of 1902 with but comparatively little damage. Perhaps the finest examples of the work of Mr. Peck in Waterbury are the Waterbury Industrial School Building on Central Avenue and the Citizens Na- tional Bank Building facing on the Green.
Another of his effective designs is that made for the Schlegel home on Clowes Terrace, which has just been completed. This is one of the best illustrations of Romanesque architecture in New England. To this should also be added the beautiful Colonial home built by Mr. Peck for C. E. Spencer, Jr., on the Middle- bury Road, and recently occupied.
Joseph A. Jackson, now of New York, but for years a Waterbury architect, has done much fine work here, particularly in the matter of church and school construction. From his plans are the convents of Notre Dame and St. Mary,
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St. Patrick's Hall, the Crosby High School and the Bank and Clay street schools. He drew the plans for some of the finest blocks built in the city since the fire, including the Jones-Morgan Building, opened in 1903, the Republican Block on Grand Street, built in 1907, the Carroll at Willow and Pine streets, one of Water- bury's finest apartment houses, the Aldrich at 287-201 North Main Street, the Judd Block, 158-160 Grand Street, built since the fire, the Manufacturers' National Bank Building, built in 1896, and the Moriarty Building, 161-167 East Main Street, built after the fire.
The work of E. E. Benedict, of Freney & Jackson, of Lewis A. Walsh, of Joseph T. Smith, of C. Jerome Bailey, is everywhere in evidence, and has added much to the architectural beauty of the city.
The last twenty-five years have witnessed what may be termed the trans- formation of the business section of the city. Growth had much to do with this, for with added population came the need of many extensions. But the fire of 1902 was by no means an insignificant factor in the architectural regeneration of the city. To this calamity Waterbury owes the uniformity which marks its blocks in the sections which were rebuilt. Aside from those already mentioned, there were built in 1903 such blocks as the Commercial Building, 110-112 Bank Street, built for W. H. Camp, and planned by Griggs ; the Cowell-Guilfoile Building, 186-196 Grand Street, from plans by Joseph T. Smith ; the Holmes Building, 132-136 Grand Street, occupied in 1904; the Meigs Building, 105-109 Bank Street; the Mullings and Platt buildings, 83-103 Bank Street, built from the plans of a Boston firm.
One of the latest additions to the business blocks of Waterbury is the Democrat Building at Grand and Canal streets, planned by Joseph T. Smith, which was com- pleted in 1916. The Standard Building, 14-20 North Main Street, which was built from the plans by Griggs in 1912, is now to be completely remodeled for occupancy next year by the Mohican Company.
The Telephone Building, at 18 Leavenworth Street, was occupied in 1914 and is from plans made by the company in its New York office.
One of the most artistic of the business homes of Waterbury is the building at the corner of West Main and Leavenworth streets, built for the Colonial Trust Company from plans by Davis & Brooks of Hartford. It is not a large structure, but thoroughly artistic and makes a valuable addition to the architecture at the Center.
The Barlow, 59-67 Grand Street, built from plans by Griggs, was put up in 1909. The Boston Furniture Company Block, at South Main and Scovill streets, is from plans by Theodore B. Peck and is one of the best of the newer business build- ings of Waterbury. The Capitol Building, 30-34 North Main Street, from plans by C. Jerome Bailey, is an effective piece of business architecture. The Hamp- son Building, 91-99 West Main Street, which is from plans by Griggs, and one of the largest business blocks in the city, was built in 1910. The Truman S. Lewis block, 25-31 West Main Street, from the plans of Mr. Griggs, was erected in 1903. Russell's Block, 149-55 Bank Street, from the plans of Joseph T. Smith, is also of comparatively recent construction.
Aside from the Elton Hotel, Waterbury still lacks pretentious hotel structures. Both the Kingsbury and Hodson buildings are quite good looking edifices, but have been built upon older structures, a remodeling which can never bring out the best in architecture.
Waterbury is fortunate in having some of the finest apartment buildings in New England. The Carroll and the Carrolton on Willow Street, from plans by Joseph T. Jackson, were put up in 1906 and 1907, and are model structures of this class. So is The Buckingham, 292 West Main Street, which is from plans by Griggs.
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THE BARLOW BROTHERS COMPANY
MATTATUCK FRESS
THE DEMOCRAT AND THE BARLOW BUILDINGS, WATERBURY
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PART OF "BANKERS' ROW," SHOWING THE HOLMES BUILDING, WATERBURY
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Among other apartment buildings that are worthy of notice and that have added to the architectural beauty of Waterbury may be mentioned the Aldrich, 287-201 North Main Street, from plans by Joseph T. Jackson ; the Albemarle, from plans by Griggs ; Bergin's Block, 246-256 East Main Street, and the Bolan, 50-52 Mitchell Avenue, both from plans by Freney & Jackson; the Frederick, 70-80 East Main Street, from plans by Theodore B. Peck; the Hendricken, 317 North Main Street, from plans by Joseph T. Smith; the Hitchcock, 164 West Main Street, and the Northrop, 182 West Main Street, from plans by Griggs; the Victoria, 278 East Main Street : the Royal, 41 Cooke Street, and the Westerly, 133 West Main Street.
It is quite certain now that the next year will see the completion of the new Y. M. C. A. Building on the site of the old Baptist Church on Grand Street. This will make that thoroughfare a veritable civic center for Waterbury.
There are two public buildings,-the Bronson Library and the Postoffice,- which come into this quarter century period. The Bronson Library was com- pleted, in August, 1894, and is from plans by Cady, Berg & See, of New York. It is of brick, terra cotta and tile construction, and in style Italian Renaissance. Its most beautiful feature is unquestionably its great, overhanging main cornice The Postoffice is modeled on the artistic plan followed by the Government in the construction of these buildings everywhere. It was completed and occupied in 1904.
Roughly estimated, there have been added to Waterbury factories in the past twenty-five years buildings that are valued conservatively by the manufacturers themselves at about fifty million dollars. The strong tendency here in the past few years has been to reinforced concrete, although most of the building has been what may be termed of slow-burning construction, which means heavy plank floors, leaving few places where fire can catch. Some of the Chase, the American Brass, and the newer Scovill buildings are of reinforced concrete.
A visit to the factory districts shows a vast change in the matter of construc- tion in a decade. The older buildings are largely brick ; the newer ones are mostly steel sash and glass. The Chase Metal Works, the Chase Rolling Mills and the Waterbury Manufacturing Co., which comprise the Chase interests, have expended several million dollars in improvements during the past few years. The American Brass Co. has erected practically all of its Waterbury buildings, remodeling only a few of the old ones, in the past twelve years.
Perhaps the greatest amount of construction was done at the Scovill works, and the additions to buildings during the war period alone have amounted to sev- eral millions. This work has been in charge of Hugh L. Thompson, civil engineer.
The Waterbury Farrel Foundry & Machine Co. has made big improvements and is building some model factories as additions to its equipment now. A list of those companies that have built or are building extensive additions will read almost like a list of the factories of Waterbury. Thus, the Bristol Co., at Platts Mills, has added one or more buildings every year for a decade. The Waterbury Bat- tery Co., Blake & Johnson, Steele & Johnson, the American Mills Co., the Amer- ican Pin Co., the Rowbottom Machine Co., the Waterbury Button Co., the Water- bury Buckle Co., Smith & Griggs, the Pilling Brass Co., Berbecker & Rowland Mfg. Co., Waterville, the Manufacturers Foundry Co., Plume & Atwood Mfg. Co., are among those who have built extensively along modern factory lines dur- ing the past few years.
In church architecture, Waterbury has been exceptionally fortunate. Its most recent addition, the Baptist Church, which is from plans by Architect Cramer of New York, is classical in style, and entirely different from the Gothic effect which prevails so largely in the construction of church buildings. St. Anne's and St.
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Patrick's are both pure Gothic. The Methodist Church, designed by George Kel- ler of Hartford, is severely Gothic. The Italian Church, on South Main Street, Our Lady of Lourdes, is a pure Italian Renaissance, and from the plans of Joseph A. Jackson of New York. St. John's and Trinity, of the Episcopal churches, are pure Gothic. The First Church Congregational is Victorian Gothic, and the Sec- ond Church Congregational is Romanesque. In practically all the other churches Gothic lines have been followed.
Waterbury has many beautiful homes and they have followed, as in all Amer- ican cities, the trend of each particular architectural period. Thus, twenty-five years ago, the Queen Anne style prevailed. Later, came the Colonial; from that the cities passed into a period of what is known as half-timbered construction ; then followed stucco houses, and now home building is going back to Colonial style. There was never much bungalow construction in Waterbury, for this pre- supposes level land and large acreages.
It is a difficult matter to pick out the beautiful homes that have gone up in the last twenty-five years as illustrations to typify periods, for while only one or two can be mentioned, many deserve really elaborate notices. This is true on practically all the good residence streets, such as the Boulevard, Central Avenue, Prospect Street, Holmes Avenue, Grove Street, Woodlawn Terrace, Hillside Ave- nue, Euclid Avenue, Clowes Terrace, upper Willow Street, Linden Street. There are also many beautiful homes in Bunker Hill, in Overlook and at Fairlawn Manor.
Of the Queen Anne style cottages that were built in the first period of this quarter-century, the most typical is perhaps the Charles Benedict house, which afterwards became the Charles Miller House. Another is the home now occupied by R. F. Griggs, but erected originally for Mrs. Mary Mitchell. Another is the home of the late Nelson J. Welton. All of these are on Hillside Avenue, and in their day were among the most prominent houses in Waterbury. The old Doctor Rodman home, on North Main Street, should be included in this list.
Of the half-timber construction, the best illustration is the Frisbie home at Grove and Prospect streets, planned by Davis & Brooks of Hartford. The home of Hugh L. Thompson on Pine Street, planned by the same architects, and the Charles Granniss home on Pine Street, are other good examples of this style of architecture.
Of stucco houses there are many illustrations and some of very recent con- struction. The Sperry home, built by Davis & Brooks of Hartford, on Bucking- ham Street, and the Seeley home, on Buckingham and Pine, also from plans by Davis & Brooks, are good illustrations of this style of architecture. So is the Arthur R. Kimball home, on Grove Street, and that of Miss Florentine E. Hay- den, on Pine Street, and that built by the late Mrs. Edwin Hayden on the same street.
The Colonial period dates forward and back. In fact, some of the best homes that are now going up are of this style of architecture. The residence being built for Miss Martha Driggs, on Prospect Street, from plans by Murphy & Dana, New York, is an excellent illustration of this style. The Alfred Hart Colonial Home, on Buckingham Street, just about completed, and which is from plans by Davis & Brooks, is a fine illustration of the modern application of this ancient American style of architecture. So is the H. L. Wade home, on Prospect Street, from plans by Griggs, and the Gilman C. Hill home, on the corner of Hillside Avenue and Pine Street, and that of John Kellogg, corner of Pine and Buckingham. The Paul D. Hamilton home, on Woodlawn Terrace, built a year ago, is an excellent example of the Colonial type of house architecture. It was planned by Wilfred E. Griggs.
THE LEAVENWORTH SPERRY RESIDENCE, WATERBURY
RESIDENCE OF JOHN H. GOSS, HILLSIDE AVENUE, WATERBURY
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One of the most beautiful residences now being added to the long list of Waterbury's charming homes is that which is being constructed from plans by Taylor & Levy of New York for Elton Wayland, on Woodlawn Terrace.
This is a brick house, built in the English Gothic style. Two beautiful homes designed by Johannes of New York are being built on Buckingham Street for John H. Goss. These two homes are on the block which contains the beautiful Goss residence, built about ten years ago in the Elizabethan style.
Another fine home which is now going up on Woodlawn Terrace is that planned by Griggs for Truman S. Lewis. This is in Renaissance style and easily one of the most attractive homes in Waterbury.
Rose Hill Cottage, on Prospect Street, the Irving H. Chase home, is still one of the show places of Waterbury. It was erected at a time when they built largely for comfort and paid little attention to names. It would therefore be difficult to designate it as illustrating any particular style of architecture, but it remains one of the beautiful homes of Waterbury.
There are not many buildings in the city built with the old tile roof and shingles. The Frederick S. Chase home, on Grove Street, next to the Kimball home, is a good illustration of this, and shows how effectively this little-used style of architecture responds to practical use.
The home of Miss Helen Chase, on Grove Street, designed by Cram, Goodyear and Ferguson of New York, is a typical English country house. The home of WV. S. R. Wake, at the upper end of Willow Street, is also built largely on this English country home style, and with its large acreage is one of the real residence attractions of the city.
The C. P. Goss home, designed by Theodore B. Peck, and located at the corner of Hillside Avenue and Pine, is another of these old country home structures which look as cosy from the outside as they are on the inside.
WATERBURY'S HOUSING PROBLEM
The housing problem has been perhaps the most important economic outcome of the war period. Soon after the beginning of hostilities, with the enormous munition orders and the vast increases in Waterbury's factory equipments, the tremendous growth and expansion of the city soon began to manifest itself in the lack of suitable and adequate housing facilities, especially for the inflowing foreign population. The supply of vacant houses and living quarters was quickly ex- hausted, thereby multiplying the difficulties and hardships already prevalent in the congested districts.
These serious conditions immediately aroused several of the leading industrial organizations to activity, which resulted in the formulation of comprehensive plans and means for relieving the condition by construction of workmen's houses.
The first meeting of those interested in providing a more adequate supply of suitable houses for workingmen in Waterbury was held on Thursday evening, February 10, 1916. It had already been made evident that the pressing need just at present was a greatly increased supply of low-priced houses or apartments for Waterbury workingmen. Therefore, it was decided that the main effort of the committee should be exerted towards this end.
At that meeting, at the suggestion of the heads of some of the largest plants in the city, John Nolen, of Cambridge, Mass., submitted an outline as a proposed general method of procedure in the investigation.
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