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Gallery 01 - Main St.

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Main St.Nothing defines a town more than its Main St. This album features photos taken through the years. This is one of the earliest photos we have seen. Note that the Main St. side of Lincoln Square has begun to be built up while the Union St. side is still raw land. The houses on Main St. will soon be replaced by brick buildings.

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This photograph of Lincoln Square was taken in 1905. The J.C. Lincoln building was Willimantic's own triangle building, and made the junction with Union and Main. Also, the central portion of buildings, facing Union and Lower Main, and extending towards Jackson Street and the mills, contained many businesses. The Lincoln Square area was referred to in the 19th century as 'downtown', and was a favoured location for the new town hall, eventually built in 1896 in its current location. The town couldn't obtain the Lincoln Square property as prices were too high, and instead the city fathers went 'uptown' to the junction of Main and Bridge, and much to the chagrin of many built the new town hall there. So Lincoln Square may have been saved if the town hall had replaced the Lincoln Block 'triangle building'.

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1890 Main Street, WillimanticThis picture of Main Street, Willimantic was taken in 1890 and shows the towering Loomer Opera House in the center of the picture, and the old Brainerd Hotel on the corner of Church Street. Built in 1850, this was Willimantic's first hotel, built to take advantage of the increased visitation to the town provided by the arrival of the New London Northern Railroad in 1849. It was demolished in 1892 and replaced by the Murray Block.

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Lincoln SquareLincoln Square in Willimantic is barely recognizable in this 1893 photograph. The only building standing today is the Baptist Church. This was the old junction between Main and Union, and it disappeared during redevelopment in the early 1970s. The square was named for carpet salesman John Lincoln.

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Main Street, 1965A bustling Main Street on a busy shopping day in 1965, looking east, before redevelopment and the advent of malls.

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Trolley on Main StreetPic of the Week - January 3, 2013 This week's photo shows one of the Willimantic Traction Company's streetcars in front of the "Fuller Block", and the Barbier-Lamoureux clothing store on Main Street. In the background is the Loomer Opera House. Next week we will resume our more challenging pictures to see who can identify them.

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Lincoln Square - 1958The Lincoln Square area of Willimantic is captured in this 1958 photograph. The Lincoln furniture building that gave its name to the square was replaced by a gas station in 1938. Lincoln Square was also the location of a rotary, and an annual, decorated Christmas tree. It disappeared in 1973 during city redevelopment

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Lower Main Street - 1948Looking west along Lower Main Street in January 1948. The Goettlich-Bacon furniture store is on the right. This area was demolished in 1972/73 during redevelopment. The only remaining building is the remodeled Jordan Block, seen on the left of the street.

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Main St. - app. 1965A clue to the date of this Main Street night scene appears on the marquee of the Capitol Cinema, where a double bill is playing, the "Music Man" and "Gypsy." Both films were released in 1962. However, the concrete decorative blocks were placed over the Gem Cinema and the YMCA in 1964, and some of the cars are later models than 1962, so let's say the date is circa 1965. The Savings Institute clock reveals the temperature as 38F and the time as 7:15 pm.

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Main St. - app. 1894This photograph was taken between 1892 and 1894. It depicts the north side of main Street, looking west. The main building visible is Youngs Hotel. This was demolished in 1925 to make way for the Nathan Hale Hotel. Also note that there is no Post Office building (1911) or town hall (1896). But the building that houses the Victorian Lady Restaurant can be seen (1892).

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Main St - app. 1950Another westward view of Main street. This time we are looking at the south side of the street from the Railroad Street junction, circa 1950. Note the Walgreens drug store, a part of Currans Pharmacy, the preponderance of restaurants and retail stores -- and the parking problem. There are less businesses half a century later, but parking is still a pain!

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Main Street, WillimanticThis fascinating photograph was provided by Richard Shea. It was taken by Connecticut Light and Power in October, 1951 to demonstrate the brightness of the new street lights the company had just installed on Main Street. The view is to the east, of the south side of the street.

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Main St. - 1937This view was taken in 1937 from Lincoln Square looking west down Main Street. Note how the Loomer Opera House on the north side dominates the streetscape. Also note the historic Hurley-Grant building on the left, foolishly demolished in 1976.

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Main St. app. 1910This is a circa 1910 view of Main Street, Willimantic, looking westward. Note the trolley tracks in the middle of the road. This proves the photograph was taken after 1903, the year the tracks were laid. On the left is an automobile, but note the numerous horse drawn vehicles. This was also the period Main was graced with elm trees. They perished in the 1920s because of Dutch Elm Disease. Above the automobile is an ad for a vaudeville troupe appearing at the Loomer Opera House. Also note the telegraph and telephone poles.

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Main Street in the 1920sA view of Willimantic's Main Street in the 1920s. The Loomer Opera House can be seen on the left, and Lincoln Square is in the distance.

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Lower Main Street, 1963This is the railroad crossing on Lower Main Street, pictured in 1963. The building on the right is the Jillson House, now the home of the Windham Historical Society. The façade and sign of the Windham Diner can be seen just further up the street.

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