City Hall, also, Monuments of War. From Hotel Russwin to hallowed halls of government, also, Remembering those who sacrificed for freedom. City Hall , New Britain's first mayor, industrialist Frederick T. Stanley (The Stanley Works) reflected the city's manufacturing identity. Likewise, its downtown architecture echoed styles including Beaux Arts, Neo-classical, Gothic Revival, and Art Deco which were popular in America's most prominent industrial cities. New Britain City Hall, formerly known as the Hotel Russwin, was built in 1886. Financed by the owners of the the flourishing Russell and Erwin Manufacturing Company (also known as “Russwin”), the hotel was designed by one of the nation's premier architecture firms of that era, McKim, Mead, and White, who also designed national landmarks such as the Boston Public Library, the National Museum of American History, and renovations to the West and East wings of the White House, to name a few. The Hotel Russwin served the Russell and Erwin Manufacturing Company's numerous sales representatives and clients, and boasted 40 bedroom, a barbershop, laundry facilities, and the first passenger elevator in New Britain. , Designed in the Venetian Palazzo style using red brick and brownstone, the Hotel Russwin's noteworthy architectural details include the intricately carved main balcony, made of iron, and resting on a heavily adorned console. Notice the unique detailing on the underside of the roof eaves, and the intricate iron filigree accentuating the main entrance. In 1907, the growing municipal government purchased the Hotel Russwin and turned it into New Britain City Hall where it remains today. , The Anvil Building sits just next to City Hall at 55 West Main Street. This Romanesque-Revival style building with Gothic flourishes is constructed with a limestone and red brick exterior and echoes the architectural details of City Hall through its use of expensive materials and lavish details that display the ambition and prosperity of New Britain in the 1920s. , The Anvil Building was originally built in 1927 for the Commercial Trust Company. This short-lived institution closed its doors on December 13, 1930 after panicked depositors had withdrawn too much cash following the crash of the stock market in 1929. The New Britain National Bank opened at the site of its competitor almost a decade later. , Both New Britain City Hall and the Anvil Building pay tribute to Elihu Burritt (1810-1879), who remains one of New Britain's most famous native sons to this day. Burritt was a blacksmith by trade but earned an international reputation as a scholar and peace advocate. Look for the “Learned Blacksmith” anvils in the brickwork on the Anvil Building, and the City motto he coined, “Industry fills the hive and enjoy the honey” embedded in the ornate city seal over the entryway to City Hall. , Monuments of War , New Britain citizens have served and sacrificed in every major conflict with both its people and its goods. Monuments honoring these citizens are located throughout the city, but the Soldiers Monument located in Central Park is among the most prominent. , This monument was built to honor the 483 New Britain residents who fought for the Union in the Civil War, and stands as a testament to their sacrifice and as a representation of the Union victory. , The building of the Soldiers Monument was a topic of ongoing discussion in New Britain for nearly 30 years beginning in 1868, and work on the monument finally commenced in 1897 when the City voted to levy a tax to fund the building of the monument which cost the city approximately $28,000. , Famous New York City architect Ernest Flagg was hired to design the Soldiers Monument, and he designed it in the Beaux-Arts style he was most known for another notable accomplishment of Ernest Flagg involves designing the Singer Building in New York City which once stood as the tallest building in the world, and was a landmark in downtown Manhattan for decades. , The Soldiers Monument was dedicated on September 19, 1900 with a grand parade of bands and marching units including the Governor's Foot Guard. Connecticut Governor George E. Lounsbury delivered remarks. General Joseph Hawley, a U S. Senator and former governor of Connecticut delivered an oration. He opened saying. “I have just learned that I am expected to deliver an oration” which was a line he kiddingly used many times as he had served in the Union army and was ever present at dedications for Civil War monuments. , The Soldiers Monument is a 44-foot tall limestone structure designed in three parts: the base, tomb, and attic. A dome and the 7-foot Winged Victory sculpture crown the attic. The Winged Victory bears an olive branch for those who survived the war. Inscribed quotes from Webster, Lincoln, Grant, and Lowell pay homage to the Civil War. Inscriptions on the west side list the years of the Civil War and the year of the monument's construction. The four pillars around the base of the monument chronicle the location of Civil War battles. , Cast-iron doors at the base of the monument once allowed entry to the space below the monument, and also to plaques that list the names of citizens from New Britain that served in the Civil War. Due to deterioration, the original copper Winged Victory sculpture located atop the Soldiers Monument was replaced in 1950 in time for the monument's 100th commemoration celebration on September 18, 2000. The original Winged Victory is displayed in City Hall. , While lesser in size but not stature, Central Park also has memorials to the Korean War, Vietnam War, and world war two. The three collective memorials, dedicated on November 11, 1972, replaced a temporary memorial to the Veterans of world war two, which had been dedicated in 1945. , The Soldiers Monument, along with City Hall and Walnut Hill Park, are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. , [Captions} , . Left: The Soldiers Monument in Central Park on the day of its dedication, September 19, 1900. (Local History, NBPL) , . Right: The “Soldiers Monument” pictured on a postcard c. 1920. (Local History, NBPL)