Meeker's Hardware
Encyclopedia
Meeker's Hardware is located at White Street and Patriot Drive in downtown Danbury
, Connecticut
, United States
, near the city's train station and the Danbury Railway Museum
, just outside the city's Main Street Historic District
. It was built in 1883, opened in 1885 and has remained in the Meeker family ever since. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983. It is the only hardware store
currently on the Register.
The Classical Revival
exterior features a brick face with seven bays
and a frieze
at the top boasting a central pediment
above its cornice
. The name of the store is painted on both outside walls and displayed prominently in the front between the two stories. It is complemented by an interior that remains much as it did in the late 19th century. A vintage cash register
is still in use. Tools and supplies are stocked in wooden shelves and compartments with thick, unfinished hardwood
flooring beneath and high ceilings above, with ceiling fan
s to cool the building in the summertime.
On the northeast wall of the building there is a large advertisement for ten-cent Pepsi
drinks, using the old logo. This is not just a decorative touch; the drinks are available in the store in three-US-ounce (90 mL) plastic cup
s for that price. Originally the sign advertised Coca-Cola
for five cents, which the store sold starting in 1983; it was a landmark to most visitors arriving at the nearby train station
. The store switched to Pepsi and raised the price to ten cents in 2006 after the local Coca-Cola bottler told them they would have to install newer fountain equipment that would make the drinks unprofitable.
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near the city's train station and the Danbury Railway Museum
Danbury Railway Museum
The Danbury Railway Museum is housed in the former Union Station on the east end of downtown Danbury, Connecticut, United States. It was established in the mid-1990s following the closure of the station by Metro-North Railroad, and primarily focuses on the history of railroading in southeastern...
, just outside the city's Main Street Historic District
Main Street Historic District (Danbury, Connecticut)
The Main Street Historic District in Danbury, Connecticut, United States, is the oldest section of that city, at its geographical center. It has long been the city's commercial core and downtown...
. It was built in 1883, opened in 1885 and has remained in the Meeker family ever since. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1983. It is the only hardware store
Hardware store
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
currently on the Register.
The Classical Revival
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
exterior features a brick face with seven bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
and a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
at the top boasting a central pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
above its cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. The name of the store is painted on both outside walls and displayed prominently in the front between the two stories. It is complemented by an interior that remains much as it did in the late 19th century. A vintage cash register
Cash register
A cash register or till is a mechanical or electronic device for calculating and recording sales transactions, and an attached cash drawer for storing cash...
is still in use. Tools and supplies are stocked in wooden shelves and compartments with thick, unfinished hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
flooring beneath and high ceilings above, with ceiling fan
Ceiling fan
A ceiling fan is a fan, usually electrically powered, suspended from the ceiling of a room, that uses hub-mounted rotating paddles to circulate air....
s to cool the building in the summertime.
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
drinks, using the old logo. This is not just a decorative touch; the drinks are available in the store in three-US-ounce (90 mL) plastic cup
Plastic cup
A plastic cup is a disposable cup made out of plastic. It is most commonly used as a container to hold beverages.-Distinguishing features:Plastic cups come in a variety of colours, textures and sizes....
s for that price. Originally the sign advertised Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
for five cents, which the store sold starting in 1983; it was a landmark to most visitors arriving at the nearby train station
Danbury (Metro-North station)
The Danbury Metro-North Railroad station serves residents of Danbury, Connecticut and surrounding areas at the north terminus of the Danbury Branch of the New Haven Line...
. The store switched to Pepsi and raised the price to ten cents in 2006 after the local Coca-Cola bottler told them they would have to install newer fountain equipment that would make the drinks unprofitable.