Westville Village Historic District facts for kids
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Westville Village Historic District
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Hotel Edgewood (1913), 882-888 Whalley Ave.
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly along Blake St. and Whalley Ave. (original) 827 Whalley Ave. (increase), New Haven, Connecticut |
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| Area | 22 acres (8.9 ha) (original) and less than one acre (increase) |
| Architect | multiple |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, et al. (original); Early Commercial (increase) |
| NRHP reference No. | 02001727 (original) 06000954 (increase) |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | January 23, 2003 |
| Boundary increase | October 25, 2006 |
The Westville Village Historic District is a special area in the Westville neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut. This district shows what the main business part of Westville looked like a long time ago. It grew in the 1800s as a busy mill village, separate from the main city of New Haven. Many buildings still have their original look from that time. This historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Its borders were made a little bigger in 2006.
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Exploring Westville's Past
When the New Haven Colony was first started in the 1600s, the Westville area was mostly farmland. Whalley Avenue was the main road connecting homes in the town center to these farms. Westville began to grow into a village around 1797. This was when a bridge was built over the West River, making Whalley Avenue a much more important road for travel.
Some early settlers used the power of the local rivers to run sawmills and gristmills. There were also gunpowder mills in the area. These mills were attacked by British soldiers during the American Revolutionary War. Later, in the late 1700s and early 1800s, bigger mills that made textiles (cloth) and paper were built. This led to more factories and businesses in the 1800s.
The village became even more important when a horse trolley line reached it in 1861. This made it easier for people to travel to and from Westville. Westville officially became part of New Haven in 1872.
Buildings in the District
The Westville village grew to include many buildings that were first built as homes. Today, most of these old homes have been changed into shops or offices. There are also buildings that were built specifically for businesses or for both homes and businesses.
In 2003, when the district was first listed, it covered about 22 acres. It included 30 buildings that were considered "contributing buildings." This means they help show the history and special character of the district. In 2006, the district was made a bit larger. The old Westville Theater building at 827 Whalley Avenue was added. This building was built in 1912 and has a style called Early Commercial. Today, an antiques store is located in the former theater building.
Important Buildings in Westville
When the Westville Village Historic District was listed, it had 34 buildings. Out of these, 30 were chosen as "contributing buildings." These buildings are important because they show the history and architecture of the area. Here are some of them:
- 446 Blake Street, the Greist Manufacturing Company
- 495 Blake Street, the Geometric Tool Company
- 512 Blake Street, built around 1840
- 15-17 Tour Avenue, built around 1905 in the Italianate style
- 23-25 Tour Avenue, built around 1905 in the Queen Anne style
- 413 West Rock Avenue, a Queen Anne style house
- 416-418 West Rock Avenue, Queen Anne style
- 417 West Rock Avenue
- 420-422 West Rock Avenue
- 426 West Rock Avenue, Tudor Revival style
- 831-835 Whalley Avenue, the Alfred Minor Building
- 837-839 Whalley Avenue
- 843 Whalley Avenue
- 845-847 Whalley Avenue
- 859-861 Whalley Avenue
- 865 Whalley Avenue
- 867 Whalley Avenue
- 873-875 Whalley Avenue
- 879 Whalley Avenue
- 881 Whalley Avenue
- 882-888 Whalley Avenue, the Hotel Edgewood
- 883-889 Whalley Avenue
- 893-901 Whalley Avenue
- 898 Whalley Avenue
- 900-902 Whalley Avenue
- 903-911 Whalley Avenue, a Masonic hall built for the Olive Branch Temple Corporation
- 904-906 Whalley Avenue
- 914-918 Whalley Avenue
- 920 Whalley Avenue
- 949 Whalley Avenue, the Westville Masonic Temple, built in 1926
Gallery
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Westville Theater (1915), 827 Whalley Ave.
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Alfred Minor Building (1906-7), 831-835 Whalley Ave.
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859 Whalley Ave.
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Westville Masonic Temple (1926), 949 Whalley Ave., R. W. Foote.
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512 Blake St. (about 1840), Greek revival.
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Geometric Tool Company (1906), 495 Blake St., Brown and VonBeren.
