Cadwell House, New Britain, Connecticut:
Cadwell House has been described as a critical component of New Britain’s Walnut Hill Historic District. The mansion was designed and owned by a prolific figure named William H. Cadwell (sometimes spelled “Caldwell”). He was a virtuoso civil engineer, a city surveyor and a master architect.
Cadwell’s use of Queen Anne and Châteauesque architectural styles made 130 West Main Street a memorable sight since it was completed in 1891. The residence was constructed of yellow brick, limestone and Portland brownstone with slate roofs and terra cotta embellishments.
Cadwell devised the abode as a gift for his bride, Frances Hadley. His family also owned Tuxis Island in Madison, Connecticut, which they sold in 1918. In addition to his house, Cadwell planned the first sewage system and the first paved roads in the history of the Hardware City. He also designed the original Stanley Works steel mill, the Vega Building, the former St. Mary’s Parochial School and many other commercial and residential buildings.
In the last leg of his career, he bought and transformed a manufacturing concern into Cadwell Manufacturing Company, producing plumbing and building supplies. In 1911, he was nominated by Governor Raymond E. Baldwin (Republican) for State Highway Commissioner, but the appointment was rejected by the State Senate along party lines.
William H. Cadwell later served on several state commissions, including the Commission of Rivers, Harbors and Bridges at the year of his death in 1941. He was survived by his wife, his siblings and many nephews and buried Fairview Cemetery.
The Cadwell family mansion, consisting of 4,704 square feet of living space, is now used as office space for a real estate agency and a law firm. In February of 2024, Cadwell House was featured in a post on the New Britain, CT Remembered Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/362182903873343
Learn more about Walnut Hill Historic District from the National Register of Historic Places: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/75001936
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