Round Hill Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Round Hill Historic District
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The First Church of Round Hill
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly, jct. of John St. and Round Hill Rd., Greenwich, Connecticut |
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| Area | 8 acres (3.2 ha) |
| Built | 1926 |
| Architect | Dominick, William F. |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000779 |
| Added to NRHP | July 25, 1996 |
The Round Hill Historic District is a special area in northwestern Greenwich, Connecticut. It includes the old village center of Round Hill. This district is found where John Street and Round Hill Road meet.
This historic area has several important old buildings. You can find a church, a cemetery, two houses, and a former school here. The old school building dates all the way back to 1750!
Round Hill started as a place for farmers in the 1700s. Later, in the early 1900s, it changed. It became a popular spot for people building country homes and summer estates. This historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. This means it is recognized as a very important place in history.
What is the Round Hill Historic District?
The Round Hill area began as a "backcountry" farming region. This means it was away from the coast. English settlers moved here from the coastal parts of Greenwich. Dutch settlers also came from New Amsterdam (which is now New York City). Both groups argued over who controlled the land in the late 1600s.
What are the oldest buildings in Round Hill?
The oldest building in the Round Hill Historic District is the Brown-Kenworthy House. It was built around 1728. This house is located right next to the First Church of Round Hill.
The church itself was built a bit later, in 1828. However, the church group started meeting in the 1820s. The cemetery next to the church was officially created in 1826.
The oldest public building in the village was a schoolhouse. It was built by 1750. This old school building is now part of a house. You can find this house just south of John Street on Round Hill Road.
How did Round Hill change over time?
For most of the 1800s, Round Hill was mainly a farming area. But in the early 1900s, things started to change. More people wanted to live in the suburbs. Farms were turned into large country estates. Some were also divided into smaller lots for new homes.
At first, the church became less important to the new people moving in. It even closed for a short time in the early 1900s. But people wanted to save it! So, it reopened as a community church for everyone, no matter their religion.
Many of the old buildings, including the church, were updated. They were given a "Colonial Revival" look. This meant making them look more like they did in the old colonial times. Sometimes, this even involved removing changes that had been made in the Victorian era.
