Father Conway

On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was struck by Japanese torpedoes in the Pacific Ocean.  It sank.   That day, 1,197 men went into the shark infested waters. Only 317 survived.

Father Thomas M. Conway of Waterbury survived the sinking.  For more than three days, he swam from group to group, aided the wounded, ministered to the dying, and calmed the frightened with his faith and prayers.  He helped save the lives of 67 men.

On the fourth day, August 2, 1945. Father Conway was the last chaplain to die in combat in World War ll.

A compelling bust honoring Father Conway is on church property facing Waterbury Green.  

Elicit Brewing Company

 A big brewery opened in Danbury in July.  It is already very popular.  It is the fourth Connecticut location opened by a man named Eli, hence "Elicit" as the business name.  

Prolific Connecticut-based muralist Ben Keller painted three murals for the speakeasy room.  

This is the Mad Hatter.

A Keller mural of a pensive David Bowie is the second mural in the room.

Madonna is at the end, making eye contact.

Linked to Monday Murals.

Watertown United Methodist Church

 

There are three churches within one block, near the intersection of Watertown's Main Street and Connecticut Route 6.  This is the Methodist church.

RidgeCon

 Last weekend, Ridgefield Library hosted RidgeCon, an event encouraging dress-up like comic book and fantasy characters.

Several library employees dressed up.

A vendor outside didn't have much business.

Walkers

 Sometimes I walk on Main Street south of the downtown.  It is a one to three mile walk, depending on where I start and where I turn back toward town.

It is very pretty.

Benches are placed along the walk.  Sometimes I sit and watch other walkers pass by.  These folks were on the other side of the street.

I sometimes see Marty and Pam out walking along Main Street.  On this day they beat me to a bench.

Waterbury City Hall

 I went to Waterbury to see its elegant and restored City Hall.

The marble-faced building and four other municipal buildings in the complex were constructed in the 1910s.  All were designed by noted architect (and longtime Ridgefield resident) Cass Gilbert in the Georgian Revival and Second Renaissance Revival architectural styles.

The entire five building complex is on the National Register of Historic Places.  They were originally financed by one of Waterbury's brass manufacturing companies.

The central staircase is a masterpiece. 

 

A statue and plaques honoring Gold Star Mothers are in the center.

An "aldermanic chamber" for formal meetings of the city's governing body is at one end of the second floor.

Waterbury's financial fortunes suffered in the late 20th century when brass manufacturing moved to other states and countries.  City Hall suffered serious neglect and most civic functions left the building.  But, in 2007 a large bond issue was approved to finance renovation of the building.  It reopened in 2011.

Palace Theater

 While I was in Waterbury, I stopped at the box office of the Palace Theater and asked if I could go inside for pictures.  After a couple of phone calls,  a young woman appeared to escort me inside.

The theater was built in 1922.  These days it hosts a variety of live events, from locally produced shows to  traveling productions.  The theater seats 2,900 patrons.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

A musical about Jane Austen is coming soon.  Later this fall KC and the Sunshine Band will perform, followed by an America tribute show.  The Tina Turner Musical will be the season's highlight.

The theater shut down in the 1980s and was shuttered for 18 years.  In the early 2000s Connecticut had a governor from Waterbury and the Palace Theater underwent a $30 million renovation.