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Styles and building materials -- whether brownstone from Portland or brick from Windsor -- tell only part of the story of Connecticut's architectural heritage, which stretches back even before the country was born. The structures erected, those torn down and replaced and those still standing reflect the evolving social and economic fabric of the state, from buildings clustered around a town green in Colonial times to bringing back pedestrian-friendly downtowns in the 21st century.



From dozens of the suggestions, structures in this gallery were selected, with the help of an architect Michael J. Crosbie, a professor of architecture at the University of Hartford who occasionally writes about architecture and design here. Some selections may surprise, but all were intended to give the sense of place that is Connecticut.

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Avon Old Farms School

Christ Church Cathedral

Hartford
Built: 1828
Style: Gothic revival
Significance: The church's architecture by Ithiel Town exemplifies a new vigor in the Episcopal Church and the desire for a well-defined identity. Gothic revival also was favored by the Church of England, its mother church.

Connecticut State Capitol