The Haviland and Elizabeth Streets–Hanford Place Historic District is an irregularly shaped 4.3-acre (1.7 ha) historic district in Norwalk, Connecticut that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[1] It encompasses a neighborhood that developed in the late 19th century following the introduction of railroad service to South Norwalk.[2]
Description and history
The district lies within a primarily commercial area of the South Norwalk neighborhood.[2]: 1
It includes 36 contributing buildings and 2 non-contributing ones.[1][2] The district is significant as a cohesive grouping of late 19th and early 20th century residential architecture. Eight houses are Queen Anne style, which involves irregular massing and use of turned or sawn woodwork in porches and elsewhere. Others display Colonial Revival elements, including Tuscan columns on some. Some are Italianate or display aspects of that style. Second Empire style is also represented.[2]: 3
Prior to the arrival of the railroad station and depot in South Norwalk in 1870, the area was economically focused on the waterfront, with oyster fishing its primary industry. The railroad spurred the introduction of factories and industrial production, resulting in the related growth of residential housing and a thriving commercial district. This historic district encompasses a cross section of residential architecture from this period of growth.[2]