John M. Page Building

175 Church Street

John M. Page came to Naugatuck from North Branford in 1874, when the borough consisted of about 5,000 residents.  Page purchased the Middlebrook Store on Water Street that sold hardware, crockery & tin ware.  By 1880, business had grown and Page rented a former restaurant that adjoined his store to expand his business.  This expansion worked for a short time.  With the need for more space and the desire to escape the annual flooding of the Naugatuck River, Page set out to build his new store on Church Street in 1890.  At the time there was only a few small neighborhood stores on the Rubber Avenue end of Church Street.

Page’s new building was the largest single store in the borough, a dramatic 76’ by 78’ building, three stories high with a full basement.  The store sold just about everything from housewares to fishing poles to stoves.  Their line of Christmas toys was among the largest in the area and their Christmas displays rivaled that of Macy’s.  Plumbing fixtures became a leading line for the store as Naugatuck transitioned to a sanitary sewer system. John M. Page, like many of his peers, was heavily involved in the welfare of the town.  He ran for warden (mayor) but lost, eventually becoming the town treasurer.  He served in the General Assembly in 1899 & 1901 and was prominent in “Masonic circles.” Page was also on the committee that oversaw the creation, installation and celebration of the Soldier’s Monument on the Green.  Page died of Bright’s disease on August 21st, 1912, leaving his wife and 4 daughters.

When Ned & Paul Fitzpatrick purchased the building in 1985 they once again added John M. Page’s name to the building because he “embodied the spirit of initiative and had a tremendous amount of entrepreneurial spirit and courage”

The building was for sale in 2019.