Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Commissioned by Orsamus Fyler in 1897, and completed in 1900, this Queen Anne style Victorian house is now the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum and the Torrington Historical Society Headquarters.
Gertrude Fyler Hotchkiss left the property to the Torrington Historical Society as a bequest in 1956.
Images
The Hotchkiss-Fyler Estate, photographed by Mark McEachern in 1986 (full citation below)
Second-floor window, photographed by T. Dean Caple (full citation below)
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Hotchkiss-Fyler Estate includes two houses: the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum and the adjacent Torrington History Museum. The property also has a carriage house.
The House Museum was originally built by the Hotchkiss Brothers Company at the end of the 19th century. Its interior features paneled walls and decorative details carved from a variety of woods: mahogany, oak, maple, and red birch. Visitors can also enjoy the home's collections of paintings, art glass, and porcelain.
Orsamus Roman Fyler, who commissioned the house, was active in city and state politics. Born in Torrington, Connecticut in 1840, he served in the Civil War (Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery), and afterward worked in public service, as State Representative, postmaster of Torrington, and then State Insurance Commissioner. He was elected Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee in 1896. From 1897 until his death in 1909, he worked as State Railroad Commissioner.
The House Museum was originally built by the Hotchkiss Brothers Company at the end of the 19th century. Its interior features paneled walls and decorative details carved from a variety of woods: mahogany, oak, maple, and red birch. Visitors can also enjoy the home's collections of paintings, art glass, and porcelain.
Orsamus Roman Fyler, who commissioned the house, was active in city and state politics. Born in Torrington, Connecticut in 1840, he served in the Civil War (Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery), and afterward worked in public service, as State Representative, postmaster of Torrington, and then State Insurance Commissioner. He was elected Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee in 1896. From 1897 until his death in 1909, he worked as State Railroad Commissioner.
Sources
"Hotchkiss-Fyler House." Living Places. Accessed March 03, 2017. http://www.livingplaces.com/CT/Litchfield_County/Torrington_City/Hotchkiss-Fyler_House.html.
"Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum." Torrington Historical Society. Accessed March 02, 2017. http://www.torringtonhistoricalsociety.org/overview1.html.
McEachern, Mark, and T. Dean Caple. "Hotchkiss-Fyler Estate (photo gallery)." NPS. Accessed March 02, 2017. https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Photos/87000129.pdf.
"Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum." Torrington Historical Society. Accessed March 02, 2017. http://www.torringtonhistoricalsociety.org/overview1.html.
McEachern, Mark, and T. Dean Caple. "Hotchkiss-Fyler Estate (photo gallery)." NPS. Accessed March 02, 2017. https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Photos/87000129.pdf.