South Windsor Historic District
- District Overview
- Inventory List
- Town:
- South Windsor »
- Year of Establishment:
- 1969
- Overlapping Historic Designation(s):
- LHD, NRHD, SR
- District Authority:
- Historic District Commission, South Windsor
- Link to Commission or Municipal Website:
- Map:
-
Historic district map retrieved from the Historic District Study Committee Report, 1969, SHPO Library, Hartford.
View photo - District Character:
- Rural neighborhood
- Features:
Buildings, Farms, Open Spaces
- Architectural Style:
Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate
- Era:
- 18th Century, 19th Century,
- General description:
The South Windsor local historic district is a semi-rural residential area on upper Main Street in South Windsor, just south of the East Windsor line. It encompasses the historic buildings along both sides of Main Street, following the axial settlement plan established in the seventeenth century and Ferry Lane (also known as Sperry Street). The district contains a high concentration of contributing buildings and sites dating from about 1700 to 1910 (88%). The majority of these predate 1857. Many of the historic properties have retained their barns, sheds and other outbuildings; at least one property is still a working farm. The intersection of Main Street, Ferry Lane and Sullivan Avenue at the head of the district was the historical center of East Windsor Hill, connecting the settlement with nearby towns. Sullivan Avenue was the "road to Wapping," another early settlement, today the center of South Windsor. [NR]
- Significance of the district:
Architecture, Commerce, Education, Religion:Active commerce along the Connecticut River in the eighteenth century and a merchant marine trade from the river ports with the West Indies and East Coast port cities after 1750 produced a wealthy, sophisticated, and highly individualistic society in central Connecticut which is exemplified by the historic architecture in the South Windsor Historic District. For over 150 years the carpenter-builders of East Windsor Hill produced a folk architecture of exceptional quality. The district contains an impressive collection of regional Connecticut Valley architecture dating from 1700 to 1857 which is distinguished by its outstanding craftsmanship, originality, and state of preservation. It derives added significance from its association with New England Congregationalism, most particularly the establishment of the Theological Institute of Connecticut, a nineteenth-century, neo-Calvinist seminary. The dissemination of cultural values and ideas along the Connecticut River Valley produced a distinctive regional vernacular architecture. The district, however, has an unusually large and comprehensive group of these buildings that have survived the test of time with exceptional integrity. They include Georgian/Colonials, gambrel-roofed cottages, elegant brick and wood-framed Federals, and numerous variations on the Greek Revival style. To a remarkable degree they have retained their historic setting and appearance. [NR]
- District Boundary (according to the LHD Study Report, copied in 2010):
The district includes properties on either side of the Main Street and Ferry Road subject to setbacks as mentioned in the ordinance and the map attached.
- Sources:
[1] District information retrieved from the town website http://www.southwindsor.org/Pages/index.[2] South Windsor Historic District, Report of the Historic District Study Committee, 1969, SHPO Library, Hartford. [3] Assessors information and Parcel IDs retrieved from http://host.appgeo.com/SouthWindsorCT/.[4] The names of the historic properties and the map/lot numbers (in brackets) have been retrieved from the National Register Nomination, 86001208 NRIS.[NR] Cunningham Jan, East Windsor Hill Historic District, National Register Nomination Number- 86001208 NRIS, National Park Service, 1986 - http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/text/86001208.pdf; http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/86001208.pdf
- Notes:
The East Windsor Hill National Register historic district encompasses the South Windsor local historic district and the open farmland historically associated with the properties in East Windsor Hill, west to the Connecticut River (with considerable prehistoric archeological potential).[NR]
- Disclaimer:
Content for this website and district boundaries were compiled from several sources and are subject to change. Boundaries for LHDs may be different from those of State or National Register Districts. To verify the boundaries and particulars of a specific district, consult the LHD study report on file with the respective municipal authority or the State Historic Preservation Office.
- Date of Compilation:
- 11/15/11
- Compiler:
- Manjusha Patnaik, CT Trust for Historic Preservation
