Our winter in Connecticut has been a little lackluster in terms of snowfall, so one morning recently I was surprised to see that a few inches of the white stuff had accumulated during the night. I grabbed a coffee and my camera and hit the road to take some photos.
Historic architecture looks especially beautiful in the snow, so I decided to revisit the Palisado Avenue Historic District in Windsor, CT which has a beautiful stretch of houses in various styles, from Federal to Greek Revival to Victorian. This primarily residential area runs parallel to the Connecticut River and it was where many of the first English settlers in Windsor lived.
I came upon what appeared to be a private residence, yet it had a large cupola on the roof and double doors that made it look more like some type of public building. Sure enough, I had missed the sign out from that indicated it was a former school.
The Bell School was used as an elementary school from 1871 until 1935, named for the bell donated by resident General William S. Pierson, a Civil War veteran. It then served as a local American Legion building before being converted to a private residence. As you can see by comparing to the vintage postcard below, it looks like an addition has been made but all of the other architectural features remain intact.
I love when a historic building can be repurposed and get a new lease on life!
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Hope you enjoyed that tidbit of history! Here are a few things that have been on my radar:
- I’m a huge New England Patriots fan, as is my family, so we were thrilled when they won the Superbowl again this year! By far my favorite clip from the parade in Boston celebrating their win was this exchange between Gronk and Tom Brady’s daughter. It’s just the cutest!
- Talking about the Superbowl, overall I thought the commercials were kind of lame. I did enjoy this mashup between Bud Light and Game of Thrones though. Dilly dilly!
- Love this fun Julian Edelman t-shirt, celebrating his famous beard.
- One last football item! My son absolutely loves this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip. Give it a try!
- Have you ever heard of the legendary Cold Friday of 1910? I came across this fascinating article from the New England Historical Society recently. It makes our recent polar vortex look like a minor chill.
- Speaking of cold, my good friend Mary Beth makes the most beautiful knit hats. There is plenty of winter left so check them out.
- I wrote an article recently for CTVisit.com about some of the remarkable landmarks we have in Connecticut. Take a peek and let me know how many you have visited.
- My Mom and I both recently finished “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens and we are both raving about it! Make it your next read.
- I enjoyed seeing these amazing photographs of a frozen Niagara Falls.
- I was in Boston last weekend and found this adorable dog pillow in a shop in the North End. I had to have it!
That wraps things up for now! What’s on your radar these days?
[x_author title=”About the Author”]
My name is Deb Cohen, and I am a lifelong resident of Connecticut, a lover of all things historic and New England, and a realtor who helps buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals and dreams. When I’m not working, I enjoy life with my husband, our two adult children, and our two rescue pups. Renovating and decorating our historic home, dating to 1800, is another favorite pastime.
