Architecture

Simeon Belden House, Wethersfield, Connecticut (3)

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The doorway of the house at 249 Main Street in Wethersfield, around 1935-1942. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.

The scene in 2024:

As explained in an earlier post, this house was built in 1767 as the home of Simeon and Martha Belden, and it is particularly notable for its front doorway, which is shown here in these two photos. During the mid 18th century, many affluent residents of the Connecticut River Valley commissioned ornate doorways for their homes. These generally consisted of fluted columns on either side of the door and a large entablature above it. In many instances, they were also decorated with carvings of flowers, leaves, and other patterns.

There were several different varieties of this type of doorway. The simplest had flat tops, but others had pediments above the entablature, including some that were triangular or arched. However, the most elaborate of the doorways tended to have scroll pediments, as shown here on the Belden house. This is the style that tends to be most associated with the 18th century doorways of the region, and there are examples of these doorways in major art museums, including one at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and two at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

According to the book Connecticut River Valley Doorways, the doorway was restored in 1917, which included installing replicas of the pedestals, along with new double doors. The rest of the doorway is original, though, and it survives as one of the few remaining scroll pediment doorways that it still located on its original house.

Simeon Belden House, Wethersfield, Connecticut (2)

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The house at 249 Main Street in Wethersfield, around 1935-1942. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.

The house in 2024:

As explained in more detail in the previous post, this house was built in 1767 as the home of Simeon and Martha Belding, and it stands as an excellent example of mid-18th century Connecticut River Valley architecture. Most notably, it features an elaborately carved scroll pediment doorway. This was a distinctive characteristic of high-end homes in the valley, and it is one of the few such homes to have survived with its original doorway intact.

The top photo was taken around the late 1930s or early 1940s, showing the view of the house from the southeast. Very little has changed since then, and it stands as one of the many historic 18th century homes that still line Main Street in Wethersfield. Along with the other homes in the area, it is a contributing property in the Wethersfield Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

Simeon Belden House, Wethersfield, Connecticut

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The house at 249 Main Street in Wethersfield, on July 29, 1940. Photographed by Stanley P. Mixon, courtesy of the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey Collection.

The house in 2024:

Main Street in Wethersfield includes many excellent examples of colonial architecture, but one of the finest is this house at 249 Main Street, near the corner of Church Street. It was built in 1767 as the home of Simeon and Martha Belding, and it has many characteristics that were found in higher-end homes in the Connecticut River Valley during this era. Among these are the large gambrel roof, and also the two chimneys, which were in contrast to the single central chimney that most other houses had. The central chimneys had the drawback of not allowing for a large entry hall and staircase inside the main entrance, so the twin chimney design was a more fashionable alternative for those who could afford it.

However, the most distinctive architectural feature of this house is the decorative doorway around the front door. Such doorways were popular in the river valley during the mid-18th century, and they typically included fluted pilasters on the sides of the door and an entablature above it. There were several different variations, but the most elaborate of the doorways also included a scroll pediment atop the door. At one point there were at least four homes with scroll pediment doorways, but the Belding House is the only one that survives. It is also one of only a small number of homes anywhere in the valley that still has its original doorway.

Aside from its architectural significance, this house is also notable for its role in the seed business. In the early 19th century, Simeon and Martha’s son James Lockwood Belden founded the Wethersfield Seed Gardens, which produced seeds for a variety of vegetables and herbs while living here in this house. He later sold the business to Franklin and William Comstock, and in 1845 it was incorporated as Comstock, Ferre & Co. The company would go on to become a major seed supplier for many years, and it still exists today as the Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre, which is located next to the house.

The top photo was taken in 1940 as part of an effort to document the house for the Historic American Buildings Survey. By that point the house had undergone some restoration work in the early 20th century, including replacing the pedestals of the doorway and installing new doors, which are shown in both photos. Not much has changed in this view since then, and the house still stands as an important architectural landmark in Wethersfield.

Ebenezer Talcott House, Wethersfield, Connecticut

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The house at 366 Main Street in Wethersfield, around 1935-1942. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.

The house in 2024:

This house was built around 1750, and it was originally the home of Ebenezer Talcott. Its design is typical for the period, including a front facade with four windows and a door on the first floor, and five windows on the second floor. On the southern side of the house is a so-called “coffin door,” and in the middle of the house is a large central chimney that would have provided heat to all of the rooms. This particular house also has a saltbox-style roof, with a long back roof that slopes down to the first floor.

By the time the top photo was taken around the late 1930s or early 1940s, the house had seen some changes to its original appearance. The front doorway, with its sidelights and entablature, was likely added at some point in the first half of the 19th century. The 6-over-6windows on the first floor may have been added around the same time, although the second floor still had 12-over-8 windows, which may have been original. Other changes included the installation of exterior shutters, which were likely also a 19th century modification.

Today, this view of the house has seen few changes in the past 80-85 years. The historically inaccurate shutters are gone, and the front door has been replaced by a colonial-style plank door with strap hinges. The “coffin door” is likewise a plank door now, although it is hidden from view by the tree in the foreground. Overall, the exterior of the house has retained much of its historical integrity, and it is one of the many colonial-era homes that line Main Street in Wethersfield. Along with the other houses in the area, it is now part of the Wethersfield Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

Nathaniel Stillman Jr. House, Wethersfield, Connecticut

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The house at 468 Main Street in Wethersfield, around 1935-1942. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.

The house in 2024:

This house was built around 1743 as the home of Nathaniel Stillman Jr. This date coincides with his marriage to Mehitabel Deming, and the upcoming marriage may have been the reason for its construction. The design of the house is typical of mid-18th century homes here in the Connecticut River Valley, with a central chimney, a symmetrical front facade with nine windows and a door, and a door on the south side of the house that is often referred to nowadays as a “coffin door.” This term comes from its supposed use in removing coffins from the south parlor, since the large ground-floor footprint of the central chimney makes it difficult to move large objects through the front door.

The top photo was taken around the late 1930s or early 1940s, as part of an effort to document historic homes across Connecticut. By this point the appearance of the house had been altered with the addition of a front porch, which was probably put on the house sometime around the late 19th century. Other changes included the installation of 6-over-6 windows, which replaced the original ones that would have likely had 12 panes on each sash. The doors had also been changed by this point, including a front doorway with windows on either side of the door. This was probably added at some point around the early or mid 19th century, and is often found on Greek Revival style homes of that period.

Today, the house looks very different compared to its appearance in the top photo, but it more closely resembles its original 18th century appearance. At some point the house underwent restoration work, which included removing the front porch, installing 12-over-12 windows, installing plank doors, and constructing a period-appropriate front doorway. The house also now has a window directly to the right of the “coffin door,” in an area where there was no window in the top photo. It is possible that this window had once existed, but by the 1930s had been removed or covered up. Overall, the house survives as an excellent example of a mid-18th century center chimney colonial, and it is one of the many homes that comprise the Wethersfield Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

72-72 1/2 Greenwood Street, Springfield, Massachusetts

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The house at 72-72 1/2 Greenwood Street in Springfield, around 1938-1939. Image courtesy of the Springfield Preservation Trust.

The scene in 2024:

Although it no longer exists, Greenwood Street once ran for two blocks from Main Street eastward to Chestnut Street, two blocks north of Congress Street. The street was developed in the second half of the 19th century, when Springfield saw rapid population growth due to industrialization. The land that would eventually become the street was once owned by Samuel Green, which was likely the source of the name.

The house in the top photo was likely built sometime around the 1860s based on its architectural style. It has a Mansard roof, a distinctive feature of Second Empire style architecture that was popular in the United States in the 1860s and into the 1870s. The house was definitely in existence by 1880, when it appears on the U.S. Census as a two-family home. In one unit was William L. and Eliza Elwell, who lived here with their two children, a nephew, a niece, and a lodger. The other unit was the home of John and Almeda Alexander, who had two children and also lived here with Almeda’s sister.

By the turn of the 20th century, this part of Springfield had become the home of many immigrant families, and this is reflected in the nationalities of the residents who lived here during the 1900 census. In one unit was Frank and Apolina Hepsick, who immigrated to the U.S. from Bohemia in 1875. They were both 59 years old in 1900, and the census indicated that they had 11 children, although only three were still living by that point. All three of these surviving children lived here, including their daughters Mary and Jennie and their son Frank. Also living here was Jennie’s husband Michael Kelleher, who was the son of Irish immigrants. Jennie and Michael had one child, three-year-old Roger. In the other unit was Harry and Esther Aronson and their young children Milton and Arnold. Harry was born in Russia and immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager in 1882, perhaps to escape persecution from the anti-Jewish pogroms. Esther was born in New York, but her parents were immigrants from Germany.

By 1920 the house was owned by Max Schaffer, a 38-year-old auto repair shop owner who lived here in the house with his wife Anna and their four children. The birthplace of both Max and Anna was listed as “Russia Poland,” and they spoke Yiddish as their native language. The Schaffers rented parts of their house to three other Jewish families: Isaac and Etta Hutner, Morris and Bertha Saven, and Nathan and Bertha Newman.

Over the course of the 20th century, the neighborhood demographics continued to evolve. By mid-century the area along Main Street between the railroad tracks and Memorial Square had become one of the city’s two major black neighborhoods, along with the Mason Square area farther to the southeast. This was partially a result of discriminatory housing practices, such as collusion among realtors and landlords to not sell or rent to black families in predominantly white areas. As a result, by 1950 more than 70% of the city’s black population lived in just one of two census tracts, with Tract 10—here in the area around Greenwood Street—having the highest percentage of black residents of the city, at 34%.

The top photo shows the house at 72-72 1/2 Greenwood Street around the late 1930s. The 1940 census, which was conducted only a few years later, shows two black families living here. In one unit was James and Mary Bartley, who were 72 and 69, respectively. They were both born in Georgia, only a few years after the end of the Civil War, and they lived here with a lodger, James Lattimore, who was also from Georgia. In the other unit was David and Irene Lofton, and Irene’s mother Sally Patterson. David was from South Carolina, and Irene and Sally were from Georgia. At the time of the census, David was working for the city water department, while Irene was working as a seamstress.

Irene Lofton died prior to the 1950 census, but David was still living here in 1950. His occupation was listed as special inspector for the water department, and he lived here with several lodgers, including Curtis and Fannie Jones and their two young children, and also Ray Evans. Curtis was from South Carolina, Fannie was from Georgia, and Ray Evans was from Illinois. The other unit in the building was the home of Mamie Gullick, who was from Georgia. Her son Roger lived here, along with Roger’s wife Hermione and their infant son. Mamie also had two lodgers who lived here with her.

By the late 1950s, this part of Springfield was targeted for a large-scale urban renewal project. This included the demolition of nearly every building north of the railroad tracks and south of Memorial Square, along with the elimination of many of the side streets, including Greenwood Street. The result was a series of large blocks with commercial development, along with a highway interchange with Interstate 91 and Interstate 291. This house was among the many that were demolished as part of the project, and the site of it is now an embankment that leads up to Interstate 291, near where it crosses Dwight Street.