The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
The grand Tourington
Sept. 22 tour to showcase historic homes in city
TORRINGTON — The Torrington Historical Society and the NW CT Chamber Education Foundation will present the fourth annual Torrington House Tour on Saturday, Sept. 22. Six homes will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 the day of the tour, and may be purchased online at www.torringtonhousetour.org or in person at the NW CT Chamber of Commerce and the Torrington Historical Society. Proceeds from the tour benefit the Torrington Historical Society and the NWCT Chamber Education Foundation
“The Torrington House Tour provides a unique opportunity to learn about Torrington’s history and to see how Torrington homes have been preserved, adapted and decorated to meet the 21st century,” said Mark McEachern, executive director of the Torrington Historical Society. “The house tour celebrates the variety of Torrington’s architecture and increases awareness of our heritage.”
Here's some interesting facts about the six houses on the upcoming Torrington House Tour:
“The house tour celebrates the variety of Torrington’s architecture and increases awareness of our heritage.”
Mark McEachern, executive director, Torrington Historical Society
Uriel Tuttle House, built in 1814 of local brick and a stop on the Underground Railroad ; Ferguson/Eno House, a Georgian style colonial farmhouse built in 1780; James Alldis House, built in 1896, a Queen Anne Victorian and the first building in town to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Benvenuti House, a stone house built in 1951 by Italian stone cutters and masons, Louis Rossi and Richard Corrali; Hoerle House, a Tudor Revival built by the VP of the Union Hardware Company in 1932; and the Boynton House, an interesting contemporary built in 2004 with views of Timber Lake with a woodland boardwalk and gardens to explore.
House tour participants can take a shuttle bus or drive their own vehicles. The tour begins at the Chamber of Commerce at 333 Kennedy Drive, where participants will receive a program guide and map. On Friday, Sept. 21, a Preview Party will include a bus tour of the six homes from 5-7 p.m., followed by a reception with refreshments and entertainment from 7-9 p.m.
For more information and tickets, visit the Torrington House Tour website. The presenting sponsor for the 2017 Torrington House Tour is Eastside Electric Inc. Other major sponsors include Torrington Savings Bank, Photo Arts Printing Company and EMC Interactive and All Star Transportation.
For more information contact Mark McEachern, Torrington Historical Society, 860-482-8260 or JoAnn Ryan, NW CT Chamber Education Foundation, 860-482-6586
About the houses:
⏩ Uriel and Adah Tuttle House: 3925 Torringford Street 1814 . Owners: Peter and Janice Delisle .
This former farmhouse is one of Torrington’s most historic homes. It was built for General Uriel Tuttle in 1814. Tuttle was born in Torrington in 1774. His parent’s house still stands on the corner of West Hill Road. Tuttle was a man of “large influence” in the town, county and state. He was an abolitionist who served as president of the Litchfield County AntiSlavery Society and the Connecticut Anti-Slavery Society. His house is a documented place of refuge on the Underground Railroad and “his purse and team were often employed” to help escaped slaves.
As a result, the Tuttle house is now listed as a location on the Connecticut Freedom Trail.
⏩ Ferguson/Eno House —140 Torrington Heights Road ca. 1780. Owner: Wayne DeCosa .
This Georgian-style farmhouse was built by Samuel Ferguson between 1770 and 1782, when it was sold to Eliphalet Eno. At that time, the farmhouse stood on 140 acres of farmland. Eno married Sarah Whiting and he is listed as a Revolutionary War veteran and later was a prominent farmer in Torrington. He served in the state Legislature from 1787 to 1792 and was one of two Torrington delegates to the state convention which ratified the US constitution in 1788 (Eno voted “no”). This house is Georgian in style with a brick center chimney that remains one of its distinguishing features.
⏩ James and Mary Alldis House: 355 Prospect St. ca. 1899. Owner: Conti, Levi, and Salerno Law Office.
This Queen Anne-style Victorian home was the first building in Torrington to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home retains much of its original integrity inside and out. It was built in 1896 for James and Mary Fenn Alldis. An article in the Torrington Register credits Mrs. Alldis with almost solely designing and planning the house. It is interesting to note that around 1905, a tower with its conical roof was added to the house.
James Alldis was born in England in 1839 and came to America when he was 14 years old. He arrived in Torrington in 1866 to work at the newly formed Excelsior Needle Company. Later he would become superintendent of that company, a member of the school board, and a state representative.
⏩ William and Rhona Hoerle House: 163 Hoerle Boulevard 1932. Owners: Carly and Stephen Goodwin.
This well-preserved Tudor-Revivial home was built for William and Rhona Feneley Hoerle in 1932. In 1929 William purchased 28 arces of hillside to create an exclusive residential neighborhood where he and his brother Christian K. Hoerle would build their magnificient homes next to each other overlooking the Union Hardware Company that provided their livelihood. At the time of his marriage in 1930 William Hoerle is listed as the vice president and superintendent of the Union Hardware Company. Rhona Feneley Hoerle was an actress who studied with Sarah Burnhardt and toured extensively in Europe and America.
⏩ August and Lillian Benvenuti House: 120 Hoerle Boulevard 1951 . Owners: George and Candace Craig.
This well-built stone house was originally the home of August and Lillian Benvenuti. Benvenuti emigrated from Italy to Torrington when he was 5 years old. He was a basketball star at Torrington High and then attended Peekskill Academy and Providence College. Later, he was a road construction superintendent for O&G Industries and an engineer at the Torrington Company before serving as Torrington’s postmaster from in 1954 to 1975. This house was constructed by Benvenuti’s father-in-law Louis Rossi, who was a stone cutter, and Richard Coralli, who was a stone mason. Both Rossi and Coralli emigrated from Italy to Torrington.
⏩ Lance and Heather Boynton House: 2024 Weed Road 2004.
This contemporary home was built by the Boyntons in 2004. It has a brick façade with architectural features that are reminiscent of Colonial Revival homes including decorative brick quoining on the front corners of the house, a large Palladian window, and an oval window by the front door. The house is perched on the edge of Timber Lake on the Bantam River and the homeowners have taken full advantage of the location by creating a woodland boardwalk trail, several gardens and a landscaped walkway leading to the water’s edge.