Colebrook Store

The Colebrook Store stands prominently in the rural community's village center, at the northwest corner of Route 183 (Colebrook Road) and Rockwell Road. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior. Its front is distinguished by a two-story Federal temple front, consisting of a fully pedimented gable supported by four slender Tuscan columns. At the center of the gable is a Federal style half-round fan. Behind the columns, the facade is symmetrical and covered with flushboarding, with windows flanking doorways on both levels; the second-floor doorway having previously served as a loading entry. The doorways and windows appear to be late 19th-century replacements, as are a number of the fixtures inside the store. Features from that period include hardwood flooring, tin ceilings, and counters.^[2]

The store was built in 1812 by William Swift, a local carpenter whose principal product was bedsteads. Swift was apparently well traveled, and was able to execute a distinct interpretation of the Adam style of Federal architecture in this building. He is also credited with construction of the Solomon Rockwell House in Winsted. The store has long been a fixture of the rural community, often used as a reference point in 19th-century descriptions of the area. It continues to serve the community and tourists as a general store.^[2]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Litchfield County, Connecticut