Liberty Bank
333 Church St.
The home of philanthropist John Howard Whittemore once stood where Liberty Bank sits. As co-owner of the Naugatuck Malleable Iron Company, Whittemore selected this location to overlook the iron mills on the floodplain below. Designed by Stanford White in 1888, the large Neo-Classical Revival house had multiple gables and pavilions. The home was lost due to a fire.
The current Neo-Victorian bank is bordered by stone walls with pillared gateways that date from the period of the house. Liberty Bank was constructed in 1974 and expanded in 1998, occupies the site, blending modern design with elements from the original estate.
This location was designated as a part of the Naugatuck Center Historic District on July 30, 1999.
McKim, Mead & White Architects - Leland M. Roth (1985)
McKim, Mead & White Architects - Leland M. Roth (1985)
Images of America - Naugatuck & Naugatuck Revisited Dana J. Blackwell and The Naugatuck Historical Society (November 1, 1996) Ron Gagliardi (August 25, 2004)
John Howard Whittemore Mansion Undated
Liberty Bank - 10/2024 Photo Credits: Taylor Bennett
Whittemore's house in Naugatuck was especially designed by Stanford White as a showcase for the art collection. Assembled with the advice of American Impressionist Mary Cassatt, who Whittemore met in Paris in 1892, the collection included Symphony in White, No. 1 and 1'Andalouse, major works by James McNeill Whistler, which were hung side by side on the stair landing. In 1943 they were donated to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, B.C., by grandson, Harris Whittemore, Jr., but many paintings done by Pissaro, Monet, and Cassatt still hang in family homes in Naugatuck and Middlebury. A rare series of pastel portraits by Cassatt captures the likenesses of three generations of the family.
The “Lost” J.H. Whittemore Mansion - McKim, Meade, & White c. 1889 Sitting at the end of Church Street (where Liberty Bank stands today) J.H. Whittemore selected McKim, Mead & White to design his new residence. This would be the first of many buildings Whittemore commissioned the firm to do. The 17,000 sq ft Colonial Revival mansion was a perfect place for Whittemore to showcase his collection of French Impressionist paintings (including Monet, Degas & Renoir). It would also set the tone for the buildings that would follow. The mansion was lost to fire in the 1970’s.
Hung in the Whittemore Mansion (the Anchorage) on Church St.
