Special Events   

"The City Beautiful" was a movement in the early 1900s to introduce beautification and monumental grandeur in cities through architecture and urban planning.

Take a guided walking tour led by historian Raechel Guest highlighting buildings designed a century ago by famed architect Cass Gilbert, and the grounds of Library Park. Waterbury City Hall (completed in 1915), the Chase Building (1917-1919) and the main Post Office (in the Art Deco style and opened in 1931) are examples and will be included on the tour. The buildings we will be viewing are now listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.

Please note: This tour will involve both indoor and outdoor walking and some stairs. The tour is “rain or shine” unless there is extremely inclement weather. There is limited paid parking ($2.00/hr) behind the library and paid on-street parking.

Silas Bronson Library Address: 267 Grand Street, Waterbury, Connecticut 06702

City Hall Address: 235 Grand Street, Waterbury, Connecticut 06702

Please note: Members will meet directly at the tour locations. Please plan to provide your own transportation to the site. Each tour will involve indoor and outdoor walking and stairs.

Please Note: This is the member's registration section. If you are not an OLLI member, then please register for the "Non-Member" section.

Join us on Friday, June 21st, 2024 at UConn's Waterbury campus for OLLI's first Juneteenth event starting at 9:30 AM. This event is free and open to everyone. The program features the documentary, Common Threads: The Power of the African American Experience in Waterbury, and a presentation from new Connecticut Community Foundation President and CEO, Kathy Taylor. The event will also provide lunch catered by Southern Tree, and music from the celebrated Ross and Bost Duo. The entire event is free and open to everyone.

This event will be held at the UConn Waterbury campus main building (99 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06702), and there will be free parking on the day of the event in UConn's attached parking garage (entrance on 55 North Elm Street). YOU MUST REGISTER FOR FREE PARKING. To get your parking permit, click this link: https://www.offstreet.io/location/DATN70AD  The passcode is: 0621WAT (do NOT copy and paste, it won't work!).

The event is free, but space is limited. Registration is required.

"OLLI at UConn is here to serve everyone in our community and beyond," says OLLI Director Fiona de Merell. “We want to celebrate our diversity and the history of how Black Americans helped shape Waterbury. We also want to learn how to be more inclusive at OLLI so we can provide great lifelong learning experiences for us all. I encourage newcomers and OLLI members alike to attend our Juneteenth celebration and become part of our enjoyable and caring learning community."

Come join us!

Please Note: This is the non-member's registration section. If you have a current OLLI at UConn membership, then please register for the "Member" section.

Join us on Friday, June 21st, 2024 at UConn's Waterbury campus for OLLI's first Juneteenth event starting at 9:30 AM. This event is free and open to everyone. The program features the documentary, Common Threads: The Power of the African American Experience in Waterbury, and a presentation from new Connecticut Community Foundation President and CEO, Kathy Taylor. The event will also provide lunch catered by Southern Tree, and music from the celebrated Ross and Bost Duo. The entire event is free and open to everyone.

This event will be held at the UConn Waterbury campus main building (99 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06702), and there will be free parking on the day of the event in UConn's attached parking garage (entrance on 55 North Elm Street). YOU MUST REGISTER FOR FREE PARKING. To get your parking permit, click this link: https://www.offstreet.io/location/DATN70AD  The passcode is: 0621WAT (do NOT copy and paste, it won't work!).

The event is free, but space is limited. Registration is required.

"OLLI at UConn is here to serve everyone in our community and beyond," says OLLI Director Fiona de Merell. “We want to celebrate our diversity and the history of how Black Americans helped shape Waterbury. We also want to learn how to be more inclusive at OLLI so we can provide great lifelong learning experiences for us all. I encourage newcomers and OLLI members alike to attend our Juneteenth celebration and become part of our enjoyable and caring learning community."

Come join us!

Visit the well-preserved District #1 School House on the Bethlehem Green for a talk about Bethlehem’s historical significance. Originally called “Bethlem,” the Green Historic District includes 63 different properties over an area of 55 acres. Our speaker will be a presenter from the Old Bethlem Historical Society.

Then head to the Bellamy-Ferriday House (located across from the Green) for a guided tour of the house and gardens. The Bellamy-Ferriday House was the home of Caroline Ferriday, the subject of Martha Hall Kelly’s bestselling book, Lilac Girls. The house was built in 1754 by Reverend Joseph Bellamy, one of the more notable figures of the Connecticut Colony.

Please note: This trip involves walking, including uneven surfaces. The second floor of the Bellamy-Ferriday House is accessed by stairs. Meet at the School House on the Bethlehem Green. Parking is available behind the School House and on the Bellamy-Ferriday House grounds. The tour is “rain or shine,” but if the weather is very inclement, then the garden tour may be eliminated.

Bellamy Ferriday House Address: TBA

The Old Bethlem Historical Society Address: The District 1 School House in Bethlehem doesn't have its own address. However, it's immediately next door (as in on the same property) as Memorial Hall. Memorial Hall's legal address is "Memorial Hall, 10 The Green, Bethlehem, CT". For further clarification, it's right in between Christ Episcopal Church and Memorial Hall.

Please note: Members will meet directly at the tour locations. Please plan to provide your own transportation to the site. Each tour will involve indoor and outdoor walking and stairs.

Join us for a guided tour of the Osbourne Homestead Museum, which celebrates the life of Frances Osborne Kellogg, an accomplished businesswoman and conservationist who was dedicated to preserving land for future generations. The estate displays significant artwork and antiques and is surrounded by formal gardens. The estate is also listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, is a stop on the Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail and is a member of the esteemed Connecticut Historic Gardens. Then, head to the Kellogg Environmental Center (on the grounds of the estate) for their current nature and art exhibits.

Please note: This tour involves walking and the second floor of the Homestead Museum is accessed via stairs. The tour is “rain or shine,” but if there is very inclement weather, then the garden portion of the tour may be cancelled. There is parking on the grounds.

The Osbourne Homestead Museum Address: 500 Hawthorne Ave., Derby, Connecticut 06418

• Restrooms are located in the Kellogg Environmental Center. The parking lot is accessible. The Osborne Homestead Museum is not accessible.

Kellogg Environmental Center Address: 500 Hawthorne Ave., Derby, Connecticut 06418

Please note: Members will meet directly at the tour locations. Please plan to provide your own transportation to the site. Each tour will involve indoor and outdoor walking and stairs.

In 1893, Horace Taft (younger brother to President William Howard Taft) opened a private boy’s school in New York State with the intent of educating “the whole boy”. Two years later, he moved his fledgling school to Watertown, Connecticut where it maintains its international reputation. His school continues to be remarkable, both for its seemingly endless list of significant alumni and for its impressive architecture. From 9:30am to 10:30am we will hear the history of and tour this important institution.

From 10:30am to 12:30pm we will visit the newly opened Watertown History Museum, located just a few minutes away from Taft School. Members will have both a walking tour of the historic Watertown Green area and a tour of the History Museum. Watertown has a lengthy history as an important hub for both education and manufacturing.

Please note: This trip involves walking and stairs. We will meet at Taft School and ample parking is available. Limited parking is available at the Watertown History Museum with additional on-street parking. This event is “rain or shine,” but if there is very inclement weather, then the outdoor walking tour portion may be cancelled.

The Taft School Address: 110 Woodbury Rd, Watertown, Connecticut 06795

• Please aware this campus is not full ADA compliant.

Watertown History Museum Address: 401 Main Street, Watertown, Connecticut 06795

• The Watertown History Museum welcomes all guests free of charge. However, you may donate to this nonprofit if you'd like.

Please note: Members will meet directly at the tour locations. Please plan to provide your own transportation to the site. Each tour will involve indoor and outdoor walking and stairs.

Since its opening in 1909, Westover School has attracted and educated young women from some of the country's leading families and now has an international student body.

Westover's architect was Theodate Pope Riddle, considered one of the ten most distinguished American women of the 20^th century. In an age when few women had such prominent professions, she designed numerous private homes (including her family estate, now Hill-Stead Musuem) and Avon-Old Farms School and oversaw the reconstruction of Theodore Roosevelt's birthplace. From 10:00am to 11:30am, we'll tour the school and learn more about both its history and its renowned architect. Following our tour of Westover School, we'll visit the Middlebury Historical Society Building (next door to Westover).

Please note: this tour involves walking and stairs. Meet at the main entrance to Westover School. Parking is available around the Middlebury Green and at the town buildings across the street.

Westover School Address: TBA

Middlebury Historical Society Address: 4 Library Road, Middlebury, Connecticut 06762

Please note: Members will meet directly at the tour locations. Please plan to provide your own transportation to the site. Each tour will involve indoor and outdoor walking and stairs.