Montauk Avenue Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Montauk Avenue Historic District
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Ocean, Willets and Riverview Avenues and Faire Harbor, New London, Connecticut |
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| Area | 62 acres (25 ha) |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001910 |
| Added to NRHP | December 18, 1990 |
The Montauk Avenue Historic District is a special neighborhood in New London, Connecticut. It was planned and built in the early 1900s. This area is a great example of a "streetcar suburb." This means it was a neighborhood designed around a trolley line. People could easily ride the trolley to work or other places.
The district has 341 buildings. Most of these are houses. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1990. This means it's an important historical area. The main streets are Montauk Avenue and Ocean Avenue. They form the western and eastern edges of the district. Many smaller streets are also part of it.
A Look at the Houses
Most houses in the Montauk Avenue Historic District were built after 1895. They are mostly made of wood. These homes show popular building styles from the early 1900s. You can see styles like Queen Anne. These styles were often built in a simpler, local way.
There are only four buildings in the district that are not houses. These are made of brick or stone. They include two schools, a church, and a fire station.
How the Neighborhood Grew
Before the late 1800s, the land south of Willetts Avenue was mostly farms. It was outside the city of New London. Only a few buildings were there. One old schoolhouse from 1855 still stands on Ocean Avenue. It was built in the Greek Revival style.
The Trolley Arrives
In 1892, something big happened. A trolley line that ran along Montauk Avenue was changed. It went from being pulled by horses to being powered by electricity. This made travel much faster and easier.
Important Developers
Thomas M. Waller was a very important person in New London. He was a well-known lawyer and also involved in local government. He owned a lot of shares in the new electric trolley line. He became one of the main people who helped build the Montauk Avenue area.
Thomas Waller and Frank Brandegee worked together. They planned out the land between Ocean and Montauk Avenues. They even created small parks in places like Faire Harbour and Bellevue. They put in utility lines like water and electricity. They also prepared the land for building.
They usually sold the land to builders with special rules. These rules were called "deed restrictions." They controlled what kind of buildings could be put up. Larger pieces of land were set aside for the main streets. Smaller, more crowded homes were built on the side streets.
