West Boulevard Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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West Boulevard Historic District
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly along Rodney St., and West Boulevard, Hartford, Connecticut |
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| Area | 12 acres (4.9 ha) |
| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | Zunner, George A., Sr. |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000615 |
| Added to NRHP | March 22, 2007 |
The West Boulevard Historic District is a special neighborhood in Hartford, Connecticut. It's a place where many old homes were built in a similar style. This area started to be developed in 1909. Most of the houses were built by one company. This made the neighborhood look very neat and organized.
The design of the area followed ideas from the "City Beautiful" movement. This movement aimed to make cities more beautiful and orderly. The West Boulevard Historic District was recognized for its history and design. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. This list includes important historical places in the United States.
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What Makes West Boulevard Special?
The West Boulevard area was once a large country estate. It belonged to Horace Fox, who owned a lumber company. In the late 1800s, this was one of the last open spaces in Hartford's West End. Mr. Fox started planning to develop this land as early as 1896.
Designing a Beautiful Neighborhood
Horace Fox had a big idea for West Boulevard. He wanted to create a wide parkway. This parkway would stretch from Prospect Avenue to Forest Street. It was part of the "City Beautiful" movement. This movement encouraged creating grand, green spaces in cities.
However, only part of his vision came true. The western section of West Boulevard was built. It became a four-lane road with a wide grassy area in the middle. Shade trees were planted along the road and in the middle section. This made the street look very grand and inviting.
Building the Homes in the 1910s and 1920s
Mr. Fox sold pieces of land for houses in the 1910s and 1920s. He mostly sold them to developers. These developers then built houses on the lots. They sold the homes to people who were doing well in their careers.
The historic district includes these blocks of West Boulevard. It also includes about half a block of Rodney Street. Rodney Street was built around the same time.
The Look of the Houses
The houses in the West Boulevard Historic District look very similar. They are usually the same size. They are also set back from the road by a similar distance. Most of them are made of wood.
Many of these homes were built in the "Colonial Revival" style. This style was very popular back then. It copied the look of older American colonial homes. Most of the houses were built by a company called Freeburg, Erickson, and Felth. The city records don't usually name a specific architect for these homes. One of the owners of the company, Andrew Freeburg, even lived and worked near West Boulevard and South Whitney Street.
