Downtown Main Street Historic District (East Hartford, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Downtown Main Street Historic District
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Roughly bounded by Main St., Governor St., Chapman Pl., and Burnside Ave., East Hartford, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Area | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| Architect | Potter, Edward T. |
| Architectural style | Gothic, Classical Revival, Colonial Revival |
| MPS | East Hartford MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 96001464 |
| Added to NRHP | December 20, 1996 |
The Downtown Main Street Historic District is a special part of East Hartford, Connecticut. It stretches along Main Street, from Burnside Avenue to Governor Street, and also includes Chapman Street to Chapman Place. This area is like a time capsule, showing how East Hartford changed from a farming town to a modern suburb. Most of its buildings were built between 1890 and 1945. This historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Discovering East Hartford's History
The town of East Hartford began as a farming area for Hartford in the 1600s. It became its own town in 1783. Main Street was created in the 1670s and became a major road connecting Hartford to towns further east. For many years, the town's economy relied on farming, especially tobacco in the late 1800s.
How the Town Grew
East Hartford started to change a lot around 1890. This was when a new streetcar railway made it easy to travel to Hartford. A big railroad station also opened, bringing more people and businesses. The completion of the Bulkeley Bridge across the Connecticut River helped the town grow even more. These changes helped East Hartford become less focused on farming and more like a modern town.
Old Buildings and Landmarks
The historic downtown area has many old buildings, some from the early 1800s.
- The Comstock House at 1132 Main Street was built around 1830.
- Wells Hall was built in 1832 as a private school. Today, it serves as the town hall.
- One of the most famous buildings is St. John's Episcopal Church. It was built in 1867 and is a great example of Gothic Revival style architecture. This church is so important that it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places by itself.
The district has 31 buildings that help tell its story. Most of the shops and businesses in the district were built between 1890 and 1925, showing the boom period when the town was growing quickly.
