Bank Building

Bank Building. Built circa 1820, Moved to Present Site in 1964. , This charming red brick building was built by Senator Elijah Boardman around 1820 and was originally located next to the Boardman house, which still stands today, on Main Street flush with the sidewalk. It was built to be used as a law office for Elijah's son, George, who was studying law at Yale. Sadly, George died in 1825 and the building was used instead as a dry goods store. In 1852 it became the first home of the Bank of Litchfield County, the first bank in New Milford. Eli Mygatt was an early president, and a long line Mygatts followed in his footsteps in the banking business in New Milford. The structure served as a bank for only a few years and later as an office space and photographer's studio., In the 1890s it was moved further back on the Boardman property to make room for tennis courts and croquet. As late as 1945, the little brick building was used as an art studio by Miss Helen Cox, a Boardman cousin and talented painter., In 1939, the Boardman lot and Bank Building were purchased by the New Milford Historical Society and Museum. It was moved in 1964 to its present site on Aspetuck Avenue and is a treasured addition to our campus. The relocation was due to the generosity of Mrs. Roland Mygatt. Roland had been the President of The New Milford Savings Bank and also President of the New Milford Historical Society and Museum., Of late Federal design, the building includes an outside door covered with sheet iron and studded with wrought iron nails. The windows are adorned with iron shutters, and the structure rests on a granite foundation. Inside there is a fireplace and a stone closet with marble shelves and a metal door, which was most likely used as a bank safe. Despite this little brick structure having a variety of occupants and purposes, it is still affectionately referred to as "The Bank Building.