Robert W. Hill

September 20, 1828 – July 16, 1909

Robert Wakeman Hill was the state architect under four Connecticut governors and is one of the most important architects in the state in the last half of the 19th century.

At least five buildings designed by him have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and many others contribute to listed historic districts.

Hill attended Waterbury public schools, and later the Young Men’s Institute in New Haven where he learned architectural drawing. He obtained a position in the office of famed New Haven architect Henry Austin.

In 1863 he established a firm in Waterbury, where he quickly became the city’s most prominent architect, a position he retained for the rest of his career.

Hill was responsible for designing many of the state’s armories as well as many public buildings including the former Waterbury City Hall, the Litchfield County Courthouse, the Thomaston Town Hall and Opera House and the Watertown Library, now owned by Taft School.

Some of his other notable works include the Tuttle House in Naugatuck, the John Kendrick House on the Waterbury Green, the Yankee Pedlar in Torrington, and the Hall Memorial Chapel in Riverside Cemetery.

Hill trained several other Waterbury architects, including Joseph A. JacksonWilfred E. Griggs and Theodore B. Peck.

Robert W. Hill Gallery