A.D 1910

NEW MILFORD CONNECTICUT

 

 

I have no idea what this building was originally, but it is located in New Milford, Connecticut, a beautifully restored town on the Upper Housatonic River in Western Connecticut.

I chose it for several reasons.

First and foremost, New Milford is a gorgeous city with a vibrant downtown, interesting people, and a great admixture of residential and commercial architecture. And this is the one example of abandonment I found. Located on a side street from the town green, it stands out like a neon sign in Williamsburg.

It is proud, though. The workmanship is excellent. And it shows changes through the ages, always a plus on this site.

The front windows are obviously newer than the original structure by at least fifty years; products of the seventies made of aluminum and plastic glazing, they are already falling apart. Probably have been for the past twenty years.

The brickwork is exceptional, and I love the limestone keystones above the windows; real craftsmanship there. The cornerstones, lintels, sills and frieze also appear to be this fine carving stone, as do the capstones on top of the parapet. The building's signature stone is carved from the same material, and what it says is completely new to this observer. Most signature stones are emblazoned with the builder's name (if the owner built it) or the person responsible for the structure.

This one is rather humble; it only designates the year of construction. And the fact that it was built after the birth of Jesus Christ. Good thing. I thought it might be Early Roman.

The brickwork is amazing. It is a Flemish bond, alternating headers and stretchers; many headers show a purple end and stretchers are showing red. Quite striking it is, he said in his best Yoda voice.

I also like the flagpole. I usually wax poetic about the sign poles outside  commercial structures, but this one is truly majestic. Not a sign pole with cheap tubes and guy wires, this thing is a piece of art in itself.  Thick tubular construction and attention paid to its construction, the damn thing must stretch twenty feet over the sidewalk below. The brass ball on the end proves it to be more than a mere sign iron.

The small dots on either side of the door (up about six and a half feet from the ground) are indicative of past sconces, removed for use elsewhere or long since rotted away through neglect. Guess which one.

I do like the mailbox by the front door. No one lives there. But I know what the things at the top corners of that door are for. They are hooks anchored into the wall to support a long-gone awning over the door, the remnants which may still be there.

Looking at the back, the addition is of a slightly later date, if the brickwork is to be believed. But there, despite the crappy resolution of the proffered picture, are the original four-over-four windows. They can be seen above the even later addition with the big green double doors with the orange placard within.