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58-677: The Curtis Memorial Library , now the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center , is a historic former library building at 175 East Main Street in Meriden, Connecticut . It was designed by New Haven architect Richard Williams in the Classical Revival style, and was completed in 1903. The building was a gift to the city from Augusta Munson Curtis in honor of her husband George, who was one of the city's leading businessmen and onetime mayor. It

116-629: A gorge lined with several exposed sandstone and brownstone cliffs. Harbor Brook (originally named Pilgrim Harbor Brook) cuts through the town from the northeast to the southwest before emptying into Hanover Pond, an impoundment on the Quinnipiac River in South Meriden. As of the 2010 census, there were 60,868 people in Meriden, with a population density of 2558 persons per square mile. There were 23,922 households (2009–2013). The average household size

174-479: A library until 1974, when new facility was opened on Miller Street. This building was then repurposed by the city as an arts and cultural center, named in honor of its benefactor. Meriden, Connecticut Meriden ( / ˈ m ɛər ə d ɪ n / MAIR -ə-din ) is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut , United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven and Hartford . The city

232-469: A painted glass and metal table lamp by Bradley and Hubbard, ( c.  1920 ) sold for US$ 14,950, doubling its estimate, at Christie's auction house in New York in 1999. Later, a 14-inch, International Silver Company cocktail shaker ( c.  1927 ) sold for US$ 21,600 tripling its estimate, at Christie's in New York in 2005. A Parker gun made for a Russian czar before World War I, but never delivered,

290-634: A precious metals trading operation in Scottsdale, with a seat that took delivery of silver bullion and silver coin contracts off of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange , The Mid America Commodity Exchange and COMEX in New York City. Charles L. Long and Leslie D. Long were the chairman and president of the new operation, while Larry Hovater was Secretary/Treasurer. At the height of the 1979-1980 silver boom where it traded above $ 50.00 per ounce,

348-536: A site of design innovation, now with Modern art, via the Miller Company Collection of Abstract Art and the organization of a Painting toward architecture exhibition which opened at Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum and later travelled to venues in 27 venues across the United States (1947–52). Substantial national media coverage reported on the exhibition. Painting toward architecture is considered one of

406-554: A smaller edition in the White House collection, Washington, DC. For some time the original Buffalo Hunt sculpture went missing, and in a shocking report by Bailey Wright in 2018, it was learned that it was recently 'missing' actually in Meriden. For lamps and metalware, the companies with national and international markets included the Edward Miller & Co / Miller Company (1844–stopped manufacturing lighting c.  1980 ),

464-587: A southwestern direction connecting to towns and cities like Wallingford , New Haven , and towards New York City. The parkway becomes the Berlin Turnpike (also Connecticut Route 15) on the northern end of Meriden. U.S. Route 5 passes through the city as North and South Broad Street. Meriden Transit Center is located in downtown Meriden on the New Haven–Springfield Line , which runs between cities of New Haven and Springfield via Hartford . It

522-554: Is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region . In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850. Meriden was originally a part of the neighboring town of Wallingford . It was granted a separate meetinghouse in 1727, became a town in 1806 with over 1,000 residents. Meriden was incorporated as a city in 1867, with just under 9,000 residents. It was once proposed as the Connecticut state capital. It

580-412: Is placed at the center of the cruciform structure. The front projection houses the main entrance, which is deeply recessed in an opening that has flanking pilasters and two fluted Ionic columns set in antis . The interior retains many original features, including mosaic tile flooring, a red marble fireplace, and Corinthian columns supporting the dome. Meriden's first library was established in 1898 by

638-413: Is served by CT Rail Hartford Line commuter rail service, as well as Amtrak Hartford Line , Northeast Regional , Valley Flyer and Vermonter intercity rail service. The Meriden, Waterbury and Connecticut River Railroad opened between Cromwell and Waterbury via Meriden in 1888–89. Passenger service west of Meriden to Waterbury ended in 1917, while Connecticut Company streetcars used

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696-452: The 5th Congressional House District . The city gained notoriety in government and political circles when in 2014, at the urging of newly elected mayor, Manny Santos, plaintiffs sued to remove appointees of boards and commissions and corporation counsel. Ultimately, the ruling by the state Supreme Court to vacate the appointments followed that of a lower court order. The appointments had been made by former mayor, Michael Rohde. In its ruling,

754-620: The Aeolian Company were involved in the production of musical instruments north of the downtown area at Tremont and Cambridge Streets. The Aeolian Company grew quickly forming production sites in other places and developed a music hall in New York. (The largest holder today of instruments and music rolls by the two companies is the Pianola Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.) Meriden also

812-511: The British Museum in London. International Silver Company designs have been exhibited in numerous museum exhibitions in the United States and abroad. For example, ISC was represented at several Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibitions during the later 1920s and 1930s including "The architect and the industrial arts: An exhibition of contemporary American design" (1929). ISC is particularly known in

870-614: The Charles Parker Company , Handel Company , and the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company (1852–1940), which also was widely known for producing metal-based products like decorative tables and andirons. For glassware, the companies included the C.F. Monroe Company (1892–1916). and the Meriden Flint Glass Company (1876–1892), Manning, Bowman & Co. (1849–1945) centered its production in Meriden, and into

928-747: The Curtis Memorial Library , across from Meriden's city hall, was opened. From 1937 until 1947, the International Silver Company sponsored the Silver Theater , a national radio program broadcast via CBS in Hollywood. The radio program featured many Hollywood actors and actresses of the time like Jimmy Stewart and Rosalind Russell. Over 200 programs were produced. In c.  1937–1945 , several Hollywood stars, including Judy Garland , Ginger Rogers and Barbara Stanwyck , endorsed

986-575: The Hanging Hills ( West Peak , East Peak , South Mountain , and Cathole Mountain ); Lamentation Mountain , Chauncey Peak , and Besek Mountain . Castle Craig , a city landmark for over a century, was constructed among the Hanging Hills in Hubbard Park . The Quinnipiac River courses through the southwest quadrant of the city, known to area residents as "South Meriden", where it meanders through

1044-617: The Napier Company , another Meriden manufacturer, were exhibited. In November 2016 – November 2017, the city's iconic Napier penguin cocktail shaker was in an exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art; the Napier penguin was the lead image of the show. In summer 2017 alone, historical Meriden area design was exhibited in museum shows in at least Dallas, Newark, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York,

1102-957: The Wilcox Silver Plate Co. In Hartford, the following silver companies also became part of the corporation: Barbour Silver Company, Rogers Cutlery and William Rogers Manufacturing Company. Other Connecticut companies that became part of the corporation also include Holmes & Edwards Silver Company in Bridgeport ; Derby Silver Company in Derby ; Norwich Cutlery in Norwich ; Rogers and Brothers, and Rogers and Hamilton in Waterbury . From outside New England were Manhattan Silver Plate in Lyons, New York ; and Standard Silver Company, Ltd. in Toronto , Ontario, Canada. Into

1160-467: The 1970s through 2007, when intercity bus service ceased serving Meriden. Meriden is linked to the Connecticut Transit System, Connecticut's extensive public transit bus network. Three bus lines loop throughout the city of Meriden once per hour. The "B" bus route departs the Meriden railroad station for the southern terminus of Kohls Plaza, connecting for New Haven; the "A" bus route departs

1218-598: The 20th century, many silver designs carry either the International Silver Company brand, or the pre-existing brand continues, or both are listed as the design maker. A founding member of the company was Senator Charles Dwight Yale , nephew of merchant William Yale and member of the Yale family . Starting in the late 1930s, ISC sponsored the Silver Theater , a radio program in Hollywood featuring many stars of

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1276-701: The Aesthetic Movement at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1986–1987), and more recently, Modernism in American Silver: 20th century design (2005–2006) in Dallas, Miami Beach, and Washington, DC, which highlighted downtown Meriden and the area's role as an important center of Modernist silver production. In 19th century Modern (2011–2012) in Brooklyn, designs by the International Silver Company and

1334-717: The Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Museum in New York, the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, The Netherlands, and the KunstHalle in Berlin, Germany. With this level of attention, some special design objects from the era have become sought-after collectors items also at auction, sometimes due to their association with the commission or commissioner, or the status of the design, or being in the sought-after Modernism style. For example,

1392-504: The International Silver Company that are now in museum collections. These designers include Edward S. Buchko, Edward J. Conroy, Kurt Eric Christoffersen, Robert L. Doerfler, Lurelle Guild , Virginia Hamill, Lilian V. M. Helander, Garth Huxtable, Robert J. King, Alfred G. Kintz, Alphonse La Paglia, Paul Lobel, Eliel Saarinen , Curtis Rittberg, Frederick W. Stark, Jean Theobald, and Stuart A. Young. In 1979 International Silver, Ltd. (Traded as "ISLOTC" on Vancouver Stock Exchange, and traded on

1450-651: The Miller Company addition on Center Street was completed. The black-and-white Modernist facade was designed by influential American architect Philip Johnson . On April 27, 1976, Jimmy Carter campaigned at city hall and the Latin American Society for the nomination of the Democratic Party for President of the United States. In 1981, the Ku Klux Klan was present in Meriden, holding various rallies in

1508-667: The OTC market in the United States.) was created to bring the dormant International Silver Company back from a group of licenses, hallmarks and other assets into a trading company with buying centers for scrap precious metals in Cookeville, Tennessee , Waco, Texas , and Las Vegas, Nevada , a refinery operation was opened in Scottsdale, Arizona and mining purchase operations in Tucson, Arizona and Lake Tahoe, California . The firm also owned and operated

1566-579: The Republican presidential nomination. For public places, Hubbard Park in the Hanging Hills was financed by Walter Hubbard (of the Bradley & Hubbard company). The design for the park was originally conceived by Hubbard in consultation with the Olmsted Brothers, sons of Frederick Law Olmsted , America's foremost landscape architect. In 1900, Castle Craig on a peak was dedicated in the park. In 1903,

1624-508: The Sotheby's auction house, "The publicity of the award and the impression the firm made on the fair's 8 million visitors was continued by the catalogues and other intensive marketing; by the end of the 1870s Meriden Britannia Co. was considered the largest silverware company in the world." A key design attributed to launching the company and the town's international name was the Buffalo Hunt with

1682-472: The Thursday Morning Club, an association of local women, and was kept in a private home. In 1900 August Munson Curtis offered to buy land and fund construction of a dedicated building. This building was completed in 1903, and was dedicated in honor of Curtis' daughter Agnes and husband George; he was a prominent industrial executive and also served as mayor of the city. The building remained in use as

1740-554: The United States and into Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Design objects from this era from Meriden have also been included in over 200 national and international exhibitions and expositions since the 1850s. The 1930s tea urn by Eliel Saarinen for the Wilcox Silver Plate Co. / International Silver Company , Meriden, is the one design exhibited most and most published in design books as an international Modern design icon. Some comparatively recent examples of Meriden designs in exhibitions include In pursuit of Beauty: Americans and

1798-528: The War Manpower Commission gave Meriden the designation as "National Ideal War Community", and Jimmy Durante and Glenn Miller entertained those at the ceremony. In addition to manufacturers that continued operations after World War II, starting in the later 1940s, the Miller Company, Burton Tremaine, Sr. and Emily Hall Tremaine firmly put Meriden on the international, 20th century art/design map. In December 1947, Meriden became known once again as

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1856-660: The Wilcox Silver Plate Co. / International Silver Company sold for US$ 377,000. In 1939, Edwin Howard Armstrong , a network radio pioneer who invented FM radio , used West Peak in 1939 for the location of one of the first FM radio broadcasts. His original 70-foot-tall (21 m) radio mast still stands on the peak. Currently West Peak is home to six FM broadcast stations, including WNPR, WWYZ, WKSS, WDRC-FM, WMRQ-FM and WHCN. During World War II, factories in Meriden worked three shifts (24 hours/day). On March 8, 1944,

1914-543: The appointing power of the City Council, as well as line-item veto over city budgets. The current mayor, Kevin Scarpati, became the youngest popularly-elected mayor in the city's history, winning the 2015 election race by 78 votes against mayor Manny Santos, who had been the first Republican elected as mayor in nearly 30 years (the last being Walter Evilia). In 2018, Manny Santos ran an unsuccessful election for U.S. Congress in

1972-657: The arts, and the environment. The offices were located in downtown Meriden. In c.  2010 , the foundation offices were relocated to New Haven, near Yale University. The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist have their mother house in Meriden, as do the Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist . The headquarters of Eastern Mountain Sports is located in Meriden. According to the United States Census Bureau ,

2030-515: The city has a total area of 24.1 square miles (62.5 km ), of which 23.8 square miles (61.5 km ) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km ), or 1.66%, is water. Meriden is a showcase for a number of prominent peaks of the Metacomet Ridge , a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable peaks in Meriden include

2088-516: The city, involved in the production of mainly silver, lamps and metalware, glassware, guns, and musical instruments. A substantial number of design and technology patents were secured. For silver, the numerous companies included the Meriden Britannia Company (a predecessor of the International Silver Company with corporate HQ in Meriden), Meriden earned the nickname "Silver City", due to

2146-697: The closest commercial airports to Meriden. Since 1975, the Meriden Hall of Fame organization has issued recognitions. In the Meriden City Hall, plaques pay tribute to the inductees. International Silver Company In Meriden and nearby Wallingford and Middletown, the companies that were banded together to form the International Silver Company included these companies: Meriden Britannia Company , Meriden Silver Plate Co., Middletown Plate Company, C. Rogers & Brother, Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. , Simpson Nickel Company, Watrous Manufacturing Company, and

2204-609: The community newspaper. Currently the Meriden Record Journal serves the communities of Meriden, Wallingford, Cheshire , and Southington and is located on South Broad Street by the Wallingford town line. The city of Meriden is located on Interstate 91 , which provides access to Hartford , Springfield , and New Haven . Interstate 691 provides access to Interstate 84 and connects to points west like Waterbury . The Wilbur Cross Parkway (Connecticut Route 15) travels in

2262-483: The company's 1847 Rogers Bros. silverware in print advertisements in LIFE magazine. After World War II, in 1949–1950, The Silver Theatre was brought to television and broadcast on CBS, also with the International Silver Company as the sponsor. Guest stars included Eva Gabor , Kim Hunter , and Burgess Meredith . A few thousand designs from this manufacturing era from Meriden are in museums and historical societies across

2320-747: The court noted, per the city charter, that the city council can appoint a corporation counsel, but only on the recommendation of the mayor, who at the time was Manny Santos. The Meriden Board of Education operates several public schools: Other schools in the area include the Catholic high schools Xavier High School (boys) and Mercy High School (girls) in neighboring Middletown. The private schools Cheshire Academy and Choate Rosemary Hall are in adjacent Cheshire and Wallingford respectively. The former St. Stanislaus Catholic K–8 School, established in 1897 by people who immigrated from Poland , closed in 2015. At one time The Meriden Daily Journal served as

2378-489: The early 20th century became a nationally known producer of small electrical appliances and chrome ware. Meriden was also the site of the production of Parker Brothers (guns) , widely-known and traded by firearms enthusiasts. From 1905 to 1918, the Meriden Firearms Co. manufactured small arms from 1905 to 1918. The stock was owned by Sears, Roebuck & Company . Internationally known companies Wilcox and White and

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2436-861: The era and was broadcast on CBS radio. In parallel, print advertisements in LIFE and other magazines starting in 1937 featured product endorsements for ISC / 1847 Rogers Bros. silverware by several Hollywood movie actresses including Anne Baxter , Constance Bennett , Janet Blair , Virginia Bruce , Madeleine Carroll , Claudette Colbert , Joan Crawford , Linda Darnell , Olivia de Havilland , Laraine Day , Geraldine Fitzgerald , Joan Fontaine , Kay Francis , Judy Garland , Greer Garson , Paulette Goddard , Susan Howard , Veronica Lake , Carole Lombard , Myrna Loy , Mary Martin , Merle Oberon , Gail Patrick , Ginger Rogers , Shirley Ross , Rosalind Russell , Martha Scott , Ann Sheridan , Dinah Shore , Barbara Stanwyck , Risë Stevens , and Loretta Young . Actor Conrad Nagel

2494-597: The first half of the year. At these rallies, Connecticut State Police would protect the KKK from anti-KKK protestors. At a March 21, 1981, rally, where the KKK was showing support for a police officer who killed a Black person, protestors threw rocks at the KKK. Two protesters were injured. In 1987, the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation was founded by the noted art collector that partly worked in Meriden, before her death, with three focus areas: learning disabilities,

2552-497: The important art-design-architecture crossover exhibitions of the 20th century, tabling European influences for usage in the Post-World War II United States. In the 1950s, the Miller Company Collection of Abstract Art was privatized to "Mr & Mrs Burton Tremaine, Meriden, CT" and numerous artworks were lent to hundreds of exhibitions nationally and internationally into the 1970s with this designation. In 1965,

2610-431: The juncture of Dexter Avenue and Lydale Place. At the time the location was known as "Buckwheat Hill", and overlooked the salt-making estate for which Jerome had received a royal grant. Timothy Jerome's son, Samuel, is the great-great-grandfather of Jennie Jerome , Winston Churchill 's mother. In the second half of the 1800s, Meriden became a manufacturing center of note, with several companies forming, or relocating to

2668-774: The large number of silver manufacturers, and the International Silver Co. continued production until the early 1980s. Along with the silver companies, other producers of cutlery included the Meriden Cutlery Co. and Miller Bros. Cutlery. In 1876, the Meriden Britannia Company made significant efforts at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and won the First place medal for plated wares. According to

2726-479: The line between Meriden and Middletown until 1931. A portion of the line in Meriden remained in use for freight until 1976. Beginning in 1784, Meriden had a stop on the New Haven-Hartford Stage Coach on Route 5 near the intersection of East Main Street. Years later, the same stop served as the bus stop for Greyhound and Peter Pan buses. Meriden had four daily departures to/from Hartford/ Boston , and four daily departures to/from New Haven/New York City daily from

2784-440: The most exhibited ISC design objects is the space-age looking urn designed by Eliel Saarinen (1934) for Wilcox Silver Plate Co. / International Silver Company. The urn was exhibited in the exhibition St. Louis Modern (2015–16) and Cranbrook Goes to the Movies: Films and Their Objects, 1925–1975 (2014–15). Saarinen's urn has become a 20th-century Modern design icon. Over the years, several designers made Modernist designs for

2842-460: The museum world for its high-quality Modernist designs from 1928 into the 1960s, which were exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Art , the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the Wolfsonian in Miami Beach, Florida in 2005–07. This exhibition highlighted many ISC design achievements, including its installation called the "Moon Room" exhibited in the Pavilion of American Interiors at the 1964 New York World's Fair from 1964 to 1965. One of

2900-431: The population. In 2009–2013, 9.7% of the population was foreign-born. For 2009–2013, the median household income was $ 52,590. The per capita income for the city was $ 26,941. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $ 188,400. The home ownership rate was 61.8%. The high school graduation or higher rate was 83.6% (age 25+) and the bachelor's degree or higher rate was 19.1% (age 25+), and 14.4% of people were below

2958-453: The poverty line. Until 1980, the city had a Mayor-Council ("strong mayor") structure. The last full-time strong mayor was Walter Evilia, a Republican and a former State Representative. Dana Miller was appointed the first city manager. The City Charter was last amended in 1994, giving the then largely ceremonial position of mayor more influence over city governance, including appointments to all boards and commissions and other positions within

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3016-564: The rail station for the northern terminus of Meriden Square with connections to New Britain and Hartford; and the east/west "C" bus travels along East Main and West Main Streets, with a handful of departures to Middletown and Waterbury. Meriden Markham Municipal Airport is the city-owned airport, located 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the city center on the border of South Meriden and Yalesville , and serves private and charter planes. Bradley International Airport ( BDL ) in Windsor Locks and Tweed New Haven Airport ( HVN ) in East Haven are

3074-565: Was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10. Husband-wife households account for 41% of all households. The population under 5 years (2010) was 6.7%, under 18 years (2010) was 23.9%, and 65 years and over was 12.9%. The female population was 51.6% compared to the male population at 48.4% (2010). The racial makeup of the city in 2010 was 73.5% White , 9.7% Black or African American , 0.5% Native American , 2.1% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 10.7% from other races , and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.9% of

3132-581: Was an important site for graphic arts innovation. In 1888, the Meriden Gravure Company (in Meriden 1888–1989) was founded by Charles Parker and James F. Allen, and continued a previous printing operation by Parker. The company developed an expertise in high quality image reproduction, which initially was driven by the needs of the silver industry. With the wealth of entrepreneurs during this time, several mansions and houses of note were built, particularly on Broad Street. Of political and historical note, on March 7, 1860, Abraham Lincoln spoke in Meriden seeking

3190-431: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The Curtis Cultural Center is located in the historic civic center of Meriden, set on a knoll at the southeast corner of East Main and Pleasant Streets. It is a two-story masonry structure, built out of white Vermont marble. It presents as a single-story structure, with the second floor only evident due to a high parapet above the main cornice. A copper dome

3248-513: Was named for the village of Meriden, West Midlands , England, near Birmingham. The oldest house in town still standing, built by Solomon Goffe in 1711, became a museum in 1986. The building is the Solomon Goffe House . The grave of Winston Churchill's great-great-great maternal grandfather, Timothy Jerome, can be seen today at what is now called "Burying Ground 1720" (Google Maps: 41°31′22″N 72°47′16″W  /  41.522877°N 72.787707°W  / 41.522877; -72.787707 ) at

3306-463: Was reported to have been sold for US$ 287,500 in 2007. In 2008, a rare Handel lamp sold for US$ 85,000. On March 5–6, 2014 at Sotheby's in London, "Al Capone's cocktail shaker" made by the Meriden International Sterling Company ( c.  1932 ) achieved over 33 times its estimate with a sale price of GBP50,000 (US$ 83,250 on the day). Lastly, in 2014, at Sotheby's New York, a rare Paul Lobel-designed coffee service ( c.  1934–1935 ) produced by

3364-425: Was the show's presenter. In 1949–50, the program continued on CBS television as The Silver Theatre . International Silver Company designs have been collected by many museums across the United States, including the Dallas Museum of Art , the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago , the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, etc. Museums overseas that have collected ISC designs includes

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