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Dwight Street Historic District
Dwight Street Historic District in New Haven, October 20, 2008.jpg
Dwight Street Historic District is located in Connecticut
Dwight Street Historic District
Location in Connecticut
Dwight Street Historic District is located in the United States
Dwight Street Historic District
Location in the United States
Location Roughly bounded by Park, N. Frontage, Scranton, Sherman, and Elm Sts., New Haven, Connecticut
Area 135 acres (55 ha)
Built 1812
Architect Multiple
Architectural style Mixed (more than 2 styles from different periods)
NRHP reference No. 83001281
Added to NRHP September 8, 1983

The Dwight Street Historic District is a special area in New Haven, Connecticut. It covers about 135 acres and is full of old buildings. This district is just west of downtown New Haven. It's generally found between Elm Street to the north, Park Street to the east, North Frontage Road to the south, and Sherman Avenue to the west.

This area has many well-preserved homes from the 1800s and early 1900s. A lot of these homes were built for people who worked in the city's factories. The Dwight Street Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. This means it's an important place to protect because of its history. The district includes most of the Dwight neighborhood and part of the West River neighborhood.

What Makes the Dwight Street District Special?

The land that is now the Dwight neighborhood was mostly farms for a long time. This changed after the War of 1812. In 1825, something big happened: the Farmington Canal began to be built. This project brought many workers to New Haven. Because of this, the Dwight area started to grow into a busy city place with a grid of streets.

How Did the Area Grow?

In the 1830s, several factories that made carriages opened in the area. They used the available workers. This helped the carriage industry become a major part of New Haven's economy in the 1800s. Today, only a few buildings from this time are still standing in the neighborhood.

The district is quite large, covering about 135 acres. When it was listed on the National Register, 595 out of 629 buildings were considered important to the district's history.

What Kinds of Buildings Can You See?

You can find many different types of homes here. There are simple single-family houses from the early 1800s. There are also apartment buildings from the early 1900s. The district has a lot of homes from the late 1800s, which are known as Victorian-era houses. These often show styles like Italianate, Second Empire, and Queen Anne.

Important Buildings to Know About

Some of the notable buildings in the Dwight Street Historic District include:

  • Dwight Place Congregational Church, located at 1267 Chapel Street.
  • Frederick P. Newton House, found at 128 Dwight Street.
  • Richmond Building, at 246 Park Street.
  • Malthusheck Piano Manufacturing Building, located at 216-220 Park Street.
  • Troup School, on Beers Street.
  • The birth home of Robert Moses, at 83 Dwight Street.
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