Printer Friendly Version - A Delight for the Eye and Mind: State’s Architecture is Topic of Book Talk

Founded by the New Haven district of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1865, the Plainville campground originally was a place for religious revivals, but its cottages also resemble those built in early vacation communities. The author will discuss the campground’s history and significance. Photo courtesy of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation

Connecticut’s architectural heritage will be the topic of a free book talk by architectural historian Christopher Wigren on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church’s Angela Hubley Hall.

Wigren is deputy director of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, which was established in 1975 to protect and promote buildings, sites, structures, and landscapes that contribute to the heritage and vitality of Connecticut communities. His book, Connecticut Architecture: Stories of 100 Places, was published earlier this year by the Wesleyan University Press. Wigren’s articles and essays have appeared in The Hartford Courant, the New Haven Register, and Connecticut Explored magazine.

Written for travelers and residents alike, the book features buildings visible from the road in all corners of the state and is “a delight for the eye and the mind,” says Henry Griggs, Madison’s municipal historian and a member of the Connecticut Trust’s board. “Our state’s architecture constitutes a rich and diverse legacy that goes well and far beyond the classic images of lighthouses and quaint old houses clustered around the town green.”

Wigren notes that “Connecticut boasts some of the oldest and most distinctive architecture in New England, from Colonial churches and Modernist houses to refurbished 19th-century factories. The state’s history includes landscapes of small farmsteads, country churches, urban streets, tobacco sheds, quiet maritime villages, and town greens, as well as more recent suburbs and corporate headquarters.”

The presentation will be tailored to include topics of special interest to Madison and the Connecticut shoreline.

With more than 200 illustrations, the book reflects more than 30 years of fieldwork and research. It is organized thematically, examining notable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities, and emphasizing the importance of the built environment and its impact on our sense of place.

The text highlights key architectural features and trends and relates buildings to the local and regional histories they represent. There are suggestions for further reading and a helpful glossary of architectural terms.

The talk is co-sponsored by the Scranton Memorial Library and the Madison Historical Society as part of a series, Preserve and Protect. It is free and open to all, and reservations are not necessary. The Scranton Library Friends will provide light refreshments at the end of the program.