Stamford has been known as a developer’s town for about 150 years.
So it was no surprise last week when Bedford Hall, a neoclassical building with four tall columns and wide front steps, which stood at 545 Bedford St. for 110 years, was demolished.
Originally the home of a prominent Stamford lawyer, it was converted in 1915 into a high-end hotel called Bedford House. In the 1940s it was one of downtown’s most popular restaurants, Brockton Manor. Later it housed the Bouton & Reynolds funeral home and then real estate offices.
It was torn down to make way for a six-story apartment building with 82 units.
Residents often lament that, in Stamford, no value is ascribed to structures that tell the city’s story.
But now, with the inventory of historic buildings very small, there may be the beginnings of a push to save what remains.
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