West End Commercial District (Winsted, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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West End Commercial District
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The right side of the district
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | N side of Main St. between Union and Elm Sts., Winsted, Connecticut |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001148 |
| Added to NRHP | August 3, 1990 |
The West End Commercial District is a special part of Winsted, Connecticut. It's a city block filled with old shops and businesses. This area is on the north side of Main Street, between Union and Elm Streets. It's important because it has the most buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s that are still standing. These buildings survived big floods and new construction. Because of its history, this district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
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Exploring the West End District
This historic block in Winsted has eight buildings. They are all on the north side of Main Street, which is also United States Route 44. Most of these buildings are made of brick. They are usually two to four stories tall.
What the Buildings Look Like
The buildings have cool designs from the past. You can see styles like Italianate and Romanesque. These styles were popular for businesses back then. Many buildings have fancy decorative tops called cornices. While some of the ground-floor shops have been updated, you can still spot original details. There is only one newer building here. It's a small, one-story building that fills in an empty space.
A Look Back at Winsted's History
In the late 1800s, Winsted had many businesses and factories. They lined both sides of Main Street. But in 1955, a terrible flood washed away the buildings on the south side of the road. After the flood, the city decided to make the road wider instead of rebuilding those lost buildings.
Winsted started to grow quickly when the railroad arrived in 1849. It became a busy industrial town. In 1858, Winsted became its own borough within Winchester. One of the biggest buildings in the West End is the Winchester Hotel. It was built in 1898. It replaced an even older hotel that used to be there.
Images for kids
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The left side of the district
