Willimantic's Blocks Part 5 by Pete Zizka 10-28-2023

As we continue our look at Willimantic’s “blocks” it is important to remember that the real growth of the city began with the coming of the railroad and that another growth spurt occurred after the end of the Civil War. Looking at the city’s blocks, though, gives us the opportunity not just to remember not just an eclectic group of structures but the people who built them and the part they played in the city’s history.  Buck. “Buck’s Block” was located at 646 Main Street (almost across from the Baptist Church). Buck was in every way a man who helped shape early Willimantic. On the state level, Buck had been elected as a representative and a senator in the state legislature. He served as the state treasurer and also state banking commissioner. Originally from Ashford, he moved to Willimantic in 1874 and immediately became involved in politics. He served several terms as Windham’s first selectman and was nominated to run for Mayor when Willimantic transitioned from borough to city. Alone or with partners, Buck owned several businesses in the city. Buck’s block started out as a two-story building but a few years later, he added a third story. Shortly after that, he added another section to the right side of his building. The building’s occupants included Buck’s grist mill and sales rooms, a paint and wallpaper business and several offices upstairs. The Rosen Brothers Department Store took over the building in 1930 and the building was later demolished as part of the city’s redevelopment program. Willimantic folks had always tended to refer to buildings by the names of their owners and that could sometimes lead to confusion. In 1910, if someone asked, “Where is the Shea Block?”, the answer might have been, “Which one? Dennis Shea’s or James Shea’s?” (James Shea had purchased the Tanner Block in 1905 and the Tanner Block began to be referred to by both names.) If asked where Dennis Shea’s block was, the answer could still be, “Which one?”. Tom Beardsley wrote that, “Dennis Shea was probably one of Willimantic’s best-know Irishmen. He came to the Borough in 1854 after a distinguished career in the U.S.Navy during the Civil War.” Upon his arrival in Willimantic he began building his business and real estate holdings, sometimes on his own and sometimes with partners. His first block was built mainly as a home for his bottling works and saloon. It was one of the buildings erected on the narrow strip that once existed between Main and Union Streets beginning at Lincoln Square. The Chronicle, whose building was next door to Shea’s at the time, reported, “The walls of Dennis Shea's new block next to the Chronicle office are up, and show the design of the building to be tasty and an ornament to the street.” One of Shea’s ads read, “Dealer in and direct receiver of the finest brands of foreign and domestic wines and liquors, for family use, and medical purposes.  Agent for the famous Highland Spring, and other grades of fine ale & lager beer, which we bottle to order, and deliver at short notice to any part of the city.” Shea’s next major purchase was the European House Hotel block on the southwest corner of Main and Railroad Streets. It had been built in 1861 by A.E. Brooks and had started out as a hotel, restaurant and store. Brooks’ store sold “Yankee notions” and liquor. Brooks sold the building in 1870 to Luke Flynn, the Borough’s Superintendent of Streets and Flynn subsequently sold it to Dennis Shea. At the time, it was considered to be one of the best business locations in the city. In 1889, Shea modernized the building by adding plate glass windows and he added three more stores so that now, there were seven stores in the building. The building was ravaged by a fire in 1905 that affected several businesses and severely damaged the building but it was rebuilt as a partially wooden, partially brick building.  According to Tom Beardsley, When the rebuild was finished, “the building was three stories high, thirty feet wide and eighty feet long. The first floor was fitted for stores, the second floor for offices and the third floor for a meeting Hall.”  The occupants at that time included a drug store, United Tea Importers,a clothier and a confectionary store. The building suffered another fire in 1944 and was again partially rebuilt. In the ‘60s, it was occupied by Curran’s Pharmacy, the optometrists Doctors Weick and Barrows, a dentist, Doctor Keegan and Phil’s Barber Shop.

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