The Crystal Restaurant is the oldest restaurant in Watertown. It has been continually operated since 1925. The Crystal Restaurant and the building it which it resides, are currently owned and operated by Watertown residents Peter and Libby…

On its official website, the City of Watertown designates the Historic Paddock Arcade as the keystone of the Public Square. After the Westminster Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island closed its doors permanently in 2008, The Paddock Arcade was…

When construction of the Brighton Building completed in 1903, it was the city’s first skyscraper. The eight-story building is an Art Deco interpretation of the popular Italianate architectural style as seen in its Renaissance-inspired cornices,…

Although it is now the site of vacant office spaces, income-adjusted apartments, and a lone optometrist, the Woolworth Building was once a bustling department store. In 1873, Frank Winfield Woolworth, a Rodman, New York resident and future…

The Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company was widely regarded as one of the largest of its era. With thousands of workers producing millions of shoes a year, Endicott-Johnson was one of the premier United States shoe manufactures throughout the early to mid…

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) One of the key tenets of Shakerism is the dualism of God as male and female. In accordance with this belief, gender…

The Brethren’s Workshop, located in this four story red brick building, was constructed in 1829. It was primarily used to house the many workshops that employed Shaker Brothers, although in its early days it was used by the Sisters as a laundry…

Shaker furniture is renowned for its simple lines, graceful proportions, and refined aesthetic, qualities that were shaped by the belief system of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. Shaker furniture forms were derived…

With an abrupt shift away from his lucrative stint in the soap business, Elbert Hubbard followed his passion for writing and began a literary career in 1893. After enrolling at Harvard, Hubbard soon realized his disdain for the inaccessibility of…

A counterpart to the Bottega, the Varenka was a one-and-a-half-story building with a garage-like door that was largely used for furniture storage and possibly sales. Although Byrdcliffe furniture was stored and sold at the Varenka, it was also…