Dwight Street Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Dwight Street Historic District is an irregularly-shaped 135 acres (54.6 ha) historic district
in New Haven, Connecticut
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983. In 1983, out of 629 buildings in the district 595 were deemed contributing buildings. The historic district includes most of the Dwight neighborhood and several blocks of the northeast corner of the West River
neighborhood.
The historic district is an irregularly shaped but "roughly square 20-block commercial and residential neighborhood of modest 19th- and early 20th-century structures lying near the center of New Haven, Connecticut." The district is located immediately west of the center of Downtown New Haven
and is generally bounded by Whalley Avenue on the north, Park Street on the east, North Frontage Road on the south, and Sherman Avenue on the west.
The district is distinguished by its "high proportion of Victorian dwellings", including many simplified vernacular versions of Federal
, Greek Revival
, Italianate
, Second Empire, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival
styles.
Significant contributing buildings in the district include:
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. It was listed on 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. In 1983, out of 629 buildings in the district 595 were deemed contributing buildings. The historic district includes most of the Dwight neighborhood and several blocks of the northeast corner of the West River
West River (neighborhood)
West River is an official neighborhood of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. The neighborhood covers the part of the city east of the West River and south of Chapel Street. Official planning maps run the eastern and southern boundaries run along Day Street, Legion Avenue, Winthrop Avenue, and...
neighborhood.
The historic district is an irregularly shaped but "roughly square 20-block commercial and residential neighborhood of modest 19th- and early 20th-century structures lying near the center of New Haven, Connecticut." The district is located immediately west of the center of Downtown New Haven
Downtown New Haven
Downtown New Haven is the neighborhood located in the heart of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It is made up of the original nine squares laid out in 1638 to form New Haven, including the New Haven Green, and the immediate surrounding central business district, as well as a significant portion...
and is generally bounded by Whalley Avenue on the north, Park Street on the east, North Frontage Road on the south, and Sherman Avenue on the west.
The district is distinguished by its "high proportion of Victorian dwellings", including many simplified vernacular versions of Federal
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
, Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
, Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
, Second Empire, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
styles.
Significant contributing buildings in the district include:
- Dwight Place Congregational Church, 1267 Chapel Street, (photo 3)
- Frederick P. Newton House, 128 Dwight Street (photo 17)
- Richmond Building, 246 Park Street (photo 18)
- Malthusheck Piano Manufacturing Building, 216-220 Park Street (photo 20)
- Troup School, Beers Street (photo 21)
External links
- Dwight Street Historic District, New Haven Preservation Trust website (text adapted from NRHP nomination, plus gallery of 3 photos)]