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Waterbury Union Station: Photos, History, Current Use

Published: February 8, 2025

By: Adam Burns

Nestled in the heart of Waterbury, Connecticut, Waterbury Union Station stands as a testament to a bygone era, embodying the architectural grandeur and historical significance of the late 19th and early 20th-century American railroad industry.

The station is situated on Meadow Street in Waterbury, Connecticut, United States. This brick edifice, opened in 1909, is distinguished by its towering clock tower, crafted by the Seth Thomas Company, which serves as the city's most recognizable landmark.

Originally designed by the renowned New York City architectural firm McKim, Mead & White (which famously designed New York's Pennsylvania Station) for the New York, New Haven & Hartford, the station once accommodated 66 passenger trains per day at its busiest.

However, as the 20th century progressed and the city's rail service dwindled to a single commuter route, the interior of the building was closed. Presently, it functions as the offices of the Republican-American, the daily newspaper serving Waterbury.

New Haven GP9 #1206 and other power sit outside Waterbury Union Station on August 24, 1968. Roger Puta photo.

Construction

Waterbury's rise as an industrial powerhouse in the 19th century created a burgeoning need for transportation to facilitate the movement of goods and people. Initially serviced by several smaller railroads, the city's expansion necessitated a more comprehensive rail infrastructure.

The first station in the city was located on Meadow Street; a modest, single-story wooden edifice, which was subsequently replaced in 1867. This occurred when the Naugatuck Railroad initiated the construction of a Second Empire-style station, characterized by an asymmetrical facade and a mansard roof.

Following the New Haven's acquisition of the Naugatuck Railroad, the existing station was razed, and a temporary depot was erected to operate until a new station could be constructed.

As early as 1889, the company had commenced planning for this new station; however, approval for land usage was not secured until 1905. The railroad company enlisted the services of McKim, Mead & White, with project architect William Symmes Richardson completing the design for the Renaissance Revival edifice.

The design diverged from the McKim's customary academic style by harmonizing the station’s interior and exterior with consistent materials and decorative elements, including a vaulted ceiling that mirrored the window arches. The large arched windows on the main façade, with their warm interior glow, rendered the building particularly inviting during evening hours.

The station consists of a central main block, flanked by north and south side-wings, and features a clock tower. The red brick masonry structure is underpinned by a base of Stony Creek pink granite, adorned with terra-cotta architectural details and ornamentation throughout.

The main block's roof is concealed by a parapet, whereas the wings are topped with hipped roofs. The principal block is distinguished by four sizable round-arched windows, interspersed with roundels. A stringcourse demarcates the much shorter second story, which is lined with a series of double-hung windows.

The design of the two wings is similar yet noticeably narrower than the central block, each containing seven semicircular arches that frame large double-hung windows and entry doors on the east and west sides.

A year into construction, the president of one railroad company requested the addition of a clock tower, given Waterbury’s proximity to the Seth Thomas clockworks. McKim obliged with a design inspired by the 14th-century Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy.

The tower, positioned at the southeast corner of the central block, is a prominent feature, boasting clock faces on all four sides. Crafted by the Seth Thomas Company, the clocks were the largest in the region, with a brass dial spanning sixteen feet in diameter.

The tower itself reaches a height of 245 feet and houses 318 steps leading to a balcony at the summit. Though not included in the original blueprints for the station, the clock tower was incorporated in 1916 at the behest of Charles S. Mellen, New Haven's president. The firm McKim, Mead & White was again retained, and they drew inspiration from the design of Siena, Italy's Torre del Mangia (1338–1348) for this addition.

By the summer of 1909, the station was completed and opened, serving as a catalyst for further neighborhood development. A few years thereafter, the American Brass Company, another significant local enterprise, established its new headquarters across Meadow Street, complementing the station’s scale and materials in its architectural design

Operational History

The station continued to accommodate intercity rail service, with the New Haven's Nutmeg and various other unnamed trains providing routes to Hartford and Boston until 1955.

The railroad also managed routes from New York City through Waterbury to New Britain and Hartford. Additional services ran north to Winsted and south towards New York City. Over time, however, service declined, ceasing entirely by the later 20th century, with the last commercial services operated by the Penn Central.

In the 1970s, one of the newspapers that would eventually become the Republican-American relocated to the building, undertaking modifications to suit its new purpose.

Publisher William J. Pape acquired the building due to its status as a landmark. The south wing continued to serve Metro-North commuter passengers as a waiting area, although this interior section has since been closed off with a new platform constructed.

In 1973, Pape tasked company machinist John A. Correia with restoring the original mechanisms of the station’s clock tower, which had been replaced in 1963 by an electric clock. The original mechanism remains operational and is displayed in the lobby.

Recognizing both its historical and architectural value, the clock tower and station were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 8, 1978. This designation was a crucial step in ensuring the preservation and adaptive reuse of the structure.

In the early 1980s, an adaptive reuse project breathed new life into Waterbury Union Station. Repurposing historical structures for modern use while maintaining their historical essence was becoming a crucial strategy for preservationists.

In this context, the station found a new purpose as the headquarters for the local affiliate of the broadcasting company, WATR-Radio, and as office space for other businesses. The transformation of the interior for these new purposes was done with sensitivity to its historical features, ensuring that the grandeur of Gilbert's design was still evident.

Today

Today, while Union Station no longer serves its original role as a bustling passenger hub, it remains a vital landmark within the city, bridging Waterbury’s industrial past with its present identity. Movements to restore the surrounding area and revitalization projects in the city often look towards the station’s iconic clock tower as a symbol of enduring community heritage.

Moreover, the spirit of train travel continues with rail service available via a platform adjacent to the station, which is part of the Metro-North Railroad’s Waterbury Branch line. Although the grandeur and frequency of rail service have diminished since its peak, the continued operation signifies that railway heritage still has a role in contemporary transportation networks.