National Register of Historic Places

Commercial Trust Company Building

New Britain, Hartford County, Connecticut
Listed
March 17, 2009
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
09000141

About this property

The Commercial Trust Company Building, also known locally as the Anvil Building, and now The Apartments at Anvil Place, is a historic commercial building at 55 West Main Street in downtown New Britain, Connecticut. Built in 1927, it is a distinctive example of Romanesque Revival architecture with Gothic features. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, and is a contributing property to the Downtown New Britain historic district. The Commercial Trust Company Building is prominently located in the center of New Britain, just west of the City Hall complex on the north side of West Main Street. It is a seven-story masonry structure, with an exterior finished in limestone on the lower levels, and brick on the upper ones. The lower three levels form a monumental facade, with three tall rounded-arch openings mostly filled with glass, and a side . The center one has a bronze doorway providing access to what was historically the bank lobby, which has tall ceilings, marble floors, and a surviving teller's counter. The upper four floors of the building, now converted to apartments, are faced in brick, with the top-floor windows in Gothic-arched openings. The building is crowned by a corbelled brick cornice. The decorative elements of the facade include repeated occurrences of blacksmith's anvils, which were one of the symbols of the Commercial Trust Company. The building was erected in 1927 for the Commercial Trust Company, which was organized in 1915 as an alternative to the New Britain National Bank. The architects were Hopkins & Dentz of New York. The building is a statement of the organization's (and the city's) prosperity in the 1920s. By 1929, with the advent of the Great Depression, the company fell on hard times and closed its doors in December 1930. The building was eventually purchased by the New Britain National Bank. National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford County, Connecticut

Location

51-55 W. Main St.
New Britain, Hartford County, Connecticut
41.66785, -72.78294
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Commercial Trust Company Building

This page lists Commercial Trust Company Building. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Commercial Trust Company Building report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Burritt Hotel
Industrial
0 mi
Commercial Trust Company Building
Industrial
0 mi
City Hall-Monument District
Civil War
0 mi
Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
South Congregational Church
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Commercial Trust Company Building listed on the National Register?

Commercial Trust Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 17, 2009.

What type of historic resource is Commercial Trust Company Building?

Commercial Trust Company Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Commercial Trust Company Building?

The period of significance for Commercial Trust Company Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Commercial Trust Company Building?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Commercial Trust Company Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Hartford County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Hartford County.

Explore HartfordCounty ›

More historic places in Connecticut

Browse all historic places in Connecticut.

View Connecticuthistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Connecticut history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Connecticuthistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Commercial Trust Company Building will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report