Chittenden House

220 Salmon Brook Street

This House:

This house was likely built in 1922 across the street from the Pendleton Golf Course, now Salmon Brook Park. The builder, and probably the first owner, was Frank Chittenden and his wife Bertha (Craig) Chittenden. Later Frank built an addition on the back of the house for the newlyweds Charles and Ruth (Chittenden) Mirek. The Mirek’s bought the house in 1950 and moved into the house proper. Their son Robert and Ruth’s sister Helen occupied the back house. In 2000 Nancy and John French bought the house from Bob Mirek (son of Charles & Ruth).

A Bit More:

Frank was a prolific builder. A 1915 article in the Hartford Courant reported that he was remodeling the old Granby Hotel (now # 2 Park Place, next to Grassroots). He removed some of the later additions, bringing it back to its original design. He was also the builder of a large social hall in West Granby.

Even More:

Another Courant article of the same year (April 1915), talks about the building of the West Granby social hall, perhaps for the Methodist church. “The contract for building the hall from the foundation has been given to Frank Chittenden of Granby Street. It is to have two floors, one for the ladies’ parlors and kitchen and one for a hall for entertainment and is to be completed by September 1.” The article goes on to say “More than twenty men with several yoke of oxen and pairs of horses and a stone mason were kept busy carting stones, sand, etc. and laying the foundation. Many of the stones were picked up beside the highway, thus improving the appearance of the street.”

Aerial photo of Salmon Brook Street from the Hartford Courant, 1936.

Around This Time...

1911

1917

1920

Tudor Holcomb plants his first crop of shade tobacco

U.S. enters World War I

The Academy building shared by South Church burns

Women get the right to vote