Arch Street Architecture
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In the Heart of the City For the Heart of the City

Arch Street Architecture, also, In the Heart of the City For the Heart of the City. . , Arch Street Architecture , The buildings of Arch Street date back to the turn of the twentieth century and offer an intertwined look at both the past and the present. Arch Street offers multiple examples of the Italianate and Beaux Arts architectural styles, which were popular in the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. The Italianate style can be seen at 180 Arch Street and is characterized by low-sloped or flat roofs, projecting cornices supported by elaborate brackets, and arched windows. The Beaux Arts style can be seen at 191 Arch Street and exhibits elaborate stone detailing, including columns, pediments, and moldings. , Arch Street displays the work of New Britain's most prominent architect, William H. Cadwell (1863-1941). In his lifetime Cadwell established himself as not only New Britain's leading architect, but also one of the best-known of central Connecticut. His work can be seen at 59 Arch Street (formerly the Vega Society Benefit Hall), and 191 Arch Street. The flamboyant Vega building, built in 1897, exhibits yellow brick, terracotta accents, stained glass windows, and intricate molding. Both buildings feature pilasters, elaborate cornices, brackets, and arched windows. , William Cadwell's own Châteauesque home, which he designed and built in 1891 as a wedding gift for his bride, Frances Hadley, is just around the corner at 130 West Main Street. , The New Britain Armory stands at the corner of Arch and Grand Streets. Prominent Waterbury architect Robert Wakeman Hill designed the imposing structure in 1886. After the state abandoned the building, the Hartford Architecture Conservancy renovated the facility to be used as housing in 1992. The large dome that once topped the central tower has never been replaced. , In the late 1990s ornamental paving, lighting, trees, and other streetscape elements were added along Arch Street following a plan by New Britain landscape architects TO Design LLC. , At the turn of the twenty-first century the Friendship Service Center added a new building to the streetscape. Designed by New Britain architects Kaestle Boos Associates, the building reflects the collective style of its time. , [Captions top to bottom)] , . Arch Street looking north – unknown date , . The Vega Building's (1897) elaborate ornamentation includes a bas-relief panel depicting a steamship perhaps bringing Swedish immigrants to New Britain. , . 67-69 Arch Street exhibits a variety of delightful accentuation including patterned brick work, ornate low dentils, brick pilasters and fenestrated window lintels. , . The New Britain Armory tower last had its original domed roof in the late 20th century. The structure was renovated to affordable housing. , In the Heart of the City , For the Heart of the City , A number of fraternal organizations and cultural clubs, including the city's chapter of the Turner Society (German), settled on Arch Street in the late 19th century. The Vega Benefit Society (built in 1897 and pictured on the reverse side) provided cultural and social connections as well as support for Swedish immigrants. Clubs and fraternal organizations, some affiliated through ethnic ties and some through political or social interests, proliferated in turn-of-the-century urban America. Historians have characterized such “voluntary organizations” as being critical to the acclimation of immigrants to new urban neighborhoods. These ethnic organizations dominated working-class neighborhoods such as Arch Street. , New Britain has served as a social services hub for the region for over a century, with many of the services located on Arch Street. In addition to the cultural societies, the City Mission and Town Farm, on Rocky Hill Avenue, once provided supportive services for the city's poor. Since the 1890s, the Salvation Army has been a part of New Britain's social services when it began providing food services to the local population, including the homeless. Arch Street was home to the organization from the 1920s through the early 1960s. , The Friendship Service Center, originally founded in 1968 by Monsignor Joseph Farrell, came to 241 Arch Street in 1992. The center provides many services including counseling, meals, family shelter, and supportive housing. Currently, the center operates out of three locations on the street, including the Vega Building. , Citizens have advocated for Arch Street since at least the 1880s, and efforts from the last half of the twentieth century illustrate continual concern. In the 1990s, the city created the Arch Walkway, which linked Arch Street with the downtown area and included historic streetlights, benches, trees, and markers identifying points of interest. In recent years, a Latino neighborhood has emerged along Arch Street, continuing the street's long tradition as a place of ethnic cultural continuity and community. , [Captions (top to bottom)] , . The Friendship Service Center has been on Arch Street since 1989. , . (Above) Youth gather for an Austrian Society party at the Dutton Club on Arch Street in 1938. (Local History, NBPL) , . (Right) New Britain Parks and Recreation staff deliver groceries donated by summer campers to the Friendship Service Center.