Prospect Street Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Prospect Street Historic District
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Prospect Street
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Bulkeley Place, Huntington, Federal, and Hempstead Streets, New London, Connecticut |
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| Area | 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) |
| Built | 1840 |
| Architect | Crandall, Lewis; Et al. |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic Revival;Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 86002114 |
| Added to NRHP | July 31, 1986 |
The Prospect Street Historic District is a special neighborhood in New London, Connecticut. It's known for its old houses, mostly built between 1838 and 1859. This area was created because New London needed more homes for middle-class families. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 31, 1986.
Contents
What is the Prospect Street Historic District?
This historic district covers two city blocks in New London. It includes 24 buildings, which are mostly houses. Many of these homes are built in the Greek Revival or Italianate styles. These styles were very popular when the houses were built. The district shows how New London grew as a city.
Why was Prospect Street developed?
Prospect Street was developed in the 1830s. At that time, New London was a very successful whaling center. This meant many people worked in the whaling business. Because of this success, more middle-class families needed places to live.
Two real estate developers, Hezekiah Goddard and Sabin Smith, bought a large piece of land in 1836. This land was bordered by Hempstead, Federal, and Huntington Streets, and Bulkeley Place. Sabin Smith developed the northern part of this land. He created Prospect Street and sold smaller pieces of land to others. These buyers then built houses or divided the land further. Many of these people were connected to the whaling business.
What kinds of houses are there?
The district has 24 houses. Most of them are in the Greek Revival style. This style was popular when the neighborhood was first built. You can see four Italianate style houses in the district. Two are on Huntington Street and two are on Federal Street. One of these Italianate houses is made of brick.
One house at 17 Prospect Street is very special. It's a Greek Revival house with four columns at the front. Its design was copied from a builder's guide by Minard Lafever.
Images for kids
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The Italianate 191 Hempstead Street was built in 1841
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The house at 26 Prospect Street at the corner of Bulkeley Place was built in 1844 in the Gothic Revival style
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The 1851 brick house at 138 Huntington Street at the corner of Federal Street is a combination of the Greek Revival and Italianate styles
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10 Prospect Street, built in 1889 in the Queen Anne style
