I never thought the original Staples High School building on Riverside Avenue looked like the original Town Hall on the Post Road (now Jesup Hall restaurant).
Or like Greens Farms Elementary School. Or the original YMCA (now Bedford Square).
But some readers did.
Many more, however, knew that last week’s photo challenge showed our first high school. Built in 1884 and razed in 1967, it sat where the Saugatuck Elementary School auditorium is now.
Lynn U. Miller’s photo was a close-up of one of the many tiles that form the River of Names, on the lower level of the Westport Library.
At least, that fascinating mural is there now. After the library’s transformation project, it will be relocated elsewhere.
Just like Staples High School eventually was.
Fifteen alert “06880” readers got either or both parts of the challenge — Staples and the library — correct. Congratulations to Bobbie Herman, Ana Johnson, Fred Cantor, Michael Calise, Seth Schachter, Rosalie Kaye, Philip Millstein, Cathy Romano, Linda Amos, Leslie Flinn, Linda Gramatky Smith, Barbara Railton-Jones, Amee Borys, Dan Beddingfield and Mousumi Ghosh. (To see the photo and read all the comments, click here.)
Here’s this week’s photo challenge. If you think you know where in Westport you’d find this, click “Comments” below.
21 Charles St
21 Charles street, Saugatuck
Sent from my iPhone
Charles St building by station.
Nature Center (I mean Earthplace, lol) decor on side of building?
21 Charles st
The sculpture on this building was by Harvey Weiss, a Westport/Norwalk artist, teacher, sculptor, author and sailor. I provided the photographs for his 1967 book, “Sailing Small Boats” and he was a friend.
On the office bldg in Saugatuck near Luciano o
Park – owned by Sam Sloat
Correct: 21 Charles Street, the office building in Saugatuck opposite Tarry Lodge. Is there anyone in Westport who likes this structure?
The cell phone companies
Haha. Great response!
I seem to remember that Harvey Weiss did not take this sculpture very seriously. But he was a good artist and should not be forgotten.
21 Charles Street – across from Tarry Lodge
I always thought this was a phrase in some language (Hebrew?). Did Harvey Weiss (a good artist) ever say what his inspiration was?
I think Harvey considered the building pretty plain and boring and not much to inspire something with meaning or significance.
Across from railroad parking and the old Arrow
The three (or is it four) story building on Franklin Street.
OK — it’s on the corner of Franklin and Charles.
Close — the corner of Charles Street and Railroad Place.
Dan –Charles and Railroad Place are parallel. It’s Charles and Franklin.
You are correct, Bobbie. I thought Railroad Place wound around — but it’s only the block that Mario’s was once on. My apologies.
😉
More importantly, Does any one know who the artist is that created the metal sculpture at 22 Charles st.?
The story I had heard was that the original sculpture was supposed to be one piece, but they couldn’t figure out how to install it that way – so it was broken up.
This is a bronze sculpture on the Saugatuck building near the train station. I’m not sure the name of the new building. The sculptor of the bronze, if I remember correctly was a man by the name of Mr. Sam Wiener. He owned an original Atlantic sailboat #78. It was kept in the Cedar Point YC basin around 1970, and was raced in the Atlantic fleet races. I was told long ago that the sculpture had a title – “The Ascension of Man’s Soul” or something like that. If I’m in error about the title – my humble apologies. Maybe someone else has info about it. I would like to hear it. I think Mr. Wiener was a sculptor in NYC.
There is plenty of info about it — which differs from yours. Please read all the previous comments.
I also knew Sam Weiner and his dark red Atlantic Class sloop. Among other arts, he did stained glass windows. But he didn’t do the sculpture at Charles Street.
And the title,”The Ascension of Man’s Soul” sounds like a put-on !
One more? Ginny Hamil Clark may be related to, or the daughter of, Jim Hamil who also sailed an Atlantic Class boat at Cedar Point named DUCHESS. I liked him. What memories 06880 brings up!
Hi Dan, and thanks for the article! I meant to write on comments for the challenge, and I must have pressed the wrong button! So it ended up after all the other comments, (I’m just a little embarrased ..) Peter is correct on the history, but I do remember the other Atlantic sailor.. Peter, I am the daughter of Jim Hamil, our red Atlantic was #82. We raced about 6-7 years. After my Dad sold our Atlantic, he sailed (crewed) with Joe Olson, all during the Nationals in the Sound. My parents were good friends with the Olsons. I have two signed original photographs by you Peter, which I inherited from my Dad, and they hang in my house now in a little trophy space. So, I stand corrected, and I’m glad to know the sculptor after all these years,
I remember a newspaper article at the time describing the sculpture as looking like junk magnetically attracted from trucks on interstate 95
I am John Weiss, the son of Harvey Weiss, the sculptor who made the sculpture on the building at Charles St. Interestingly he used to buy ancient Roman and Greek coins from Sam Sloan. I never realized he owned the building. Peter Barlow was a friend of my father’s and took a terrific photograph of him sailing his sloop. My dad also was friends with Sam Weiner who had a studio in SoHo. My father has a member of the National Academy of Design and wrote over 30 books, some about art.
Art work on the office building on Charles Street.
I think Bob Sloats Company occupies either all
Or some of it
Building near train station facing ball field
Affixed to that horrible building in Saugatuck
The building in Saugatuck near the train station – don’t know what it is or what that says!
It should be noted that there are two sculptures on 21 Charles Street. The one in the photo challenge is on the Franklin Street facade but there is another one on the Charles Street facade. (Maybe, as someone suggested, it was one sculpture broken in two). Last week I guessed that the photo was of the sculpture on 21 Charles Street but before making a comment I Googled the building. It showed the Charles Street sculpture which did not match the photo challenge so I made no comment. With renewed interest from today’s Photo Challenge #131, I re-Googled the building to find the Franklin Street sculpture which, of course, matches the photo.
Sorry I missed seeing this earlier…we used to think of it as the bacon chip building!