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L-R: Melanie, John, Hunter, Gin, Dale, AJ, Duncan, Adam, Chelsea, Larry, Bob,
Bret, Marcie, Kathy, Isabelle, Phoebe, David, Janet, Ben, Bill, and Lori |
In August 2021, while the family was in Middlebury, Connecticut to attend Dave and Barbara Bristol's funeral services, we had the opportunity to visit Uncle Will's House on Upper Whittemore Road. The current owners had done an impressive job of restoring the house while preserving many of its historical features.
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| William and Elise sitting on veranda behind their home |
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Uncle Will's house was designed by Griggs & Hunt and was built by George H. Upham in 1913. At the time, Griggs & Hunt was Waterbury's leading architectural firm and was especially known for using the Second Renaissance Revival style.
As described in Modern Connecticut Homes and Homecrafts in 1921, the house was described as "one of the most attractive in central Connecticut. Designed in the general style of the Italian villa, its walls are built of hollow tile covered with stucco of a pleasing grayish tone, and the roof is of glazed Spanish style tile. Within the house the spacious hall, staircase and the several rooms are replete with examples of exquisite cabinet work and tasteful decorations. A unique feature of Professor Bristol's residence is the aviary, a room designed to house the owner's collection of rare and beautiful birds. Another interesting feature of this home is the fine pipe organ which is installed in the handsome hall."
Before trees grew up on the hillside, the rear of the house overlooked Lake Elise, which had been created by Uncle Will and named for his wife. Some photos from our visit are attached below.
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| Fireplace and double staircase leading up from living room |
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| Elise's aviary room |
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| Second floor landing |
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| Rear of house |
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| Movie theatre in basement |
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| Movie screen displaying old photo of house |
The new owners had also created a theatre in the basement for watching their vast collection of old movies! Interestingly, although the swastika was used as a motif on historical features of the house, prior to the 1930s the symbol was commonly used as a sign of luck and prosperity.
Copies of the original architectural plans from 1913 are provided below.
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| Front of house plans |
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| Rear of house plans |
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| Second floor plans |
