Elton Hotel, historic building in Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
The Elton Hotel is a six-story building constructed in 1904 in downtown Waterbury overlooking the city's Green park. It displays Second Renaissance Revival architecture with copper bay windows, limestone trim, detailed stonework, and a symmetrical facade featuring classical decorations throughout its buff-brick exterior.
The building was designed by architect Wilfred Griggs in 1904 to replace a luxury hotel destroyed by fire two years earlier. Local industrialists funded its construction and named it after J.S. Elton, a leading businessman from the Waterbury Brass Company.
The hotel served as a social hub where the community gathered for important celebrations and civic events during Waterbury's prosperous industrial era. Its grand ballroom and elegant interior reflected the city's pride and ambitions of the early 1900s.
The building is centrally located in Waterbury near the Green park and easily accessible on foot from the historic district. Since it now operates as a senior residential facility, public access inside is limited, but the architectural details of the exterior can be viewed from the street.
Writer James Thurber is believed to have drawn inspiration from the hotel lobby for his famous short story 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' while staying there. This literary connection makes the building a noteworthy place for fans of American fiction.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
