The Westerly Downtown Historic District is a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
encompassing most of the commercial and civic district of
Westerly,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It extends from Broad and Union Streets eastward along High Street, and north along Canal Street to Railroad Avenue, where it extends to include the historic railroad station. The district contains a compact and cohesive collection of commercial and civic buildings built primarily during the last three decades of the 19th century and the first three decades of the 20th century, including the Old Town Hall (1872–74), the current Town Hall (1912), the Spanish Colonial railroad station (1912), and the Classical Revival
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
(1914).
The district was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1984, with expansions in 1995 and 2007.
Representative contributing buildings
Among the contributing buildings of the Westerly Downtown Historic District are the following:
* Old Town Hall, designed by builder Charles Maxson and architect
Alfred Stone (completed 1874)
* Westerly Memorial and Public Library, architect
Longstaff & Hurd
George W. Longstaff (1850-1901) was an American architect practicing in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Life and career
George W. Longstaff was born in 1850 in England. In early life he relocated to the United States, eventually arriving in Bridge ...
(completed 1894; addition 1924)
* Town Hall and Courthouse, architect
William R. Walker & Son (completed 1912)
*
Westerly Railroad Station (completed in 1912)
*
Post Office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
, architect
James Knox Taylor (completed 1914)
* Industrial Trust Co. Building (completed 1916)
* Washington Trust Co. Building, architect
York and Sawyer (completed 1925)
Gallery
File:Old Town Hall from southeast, 10 Union Street, Westerly.jpg, Old Town Hall (1874)
File:2021 Westerly Memorial and Public Library 2.jpg, Westerly Memorial and Public Library (1894; addition 1924)
File:Industrial Trust Company Building, 14 High Street, Westerly.jpg, Industrial Trust Company (1916)
File:2015-03-28 Washington Trust Co Westerly RI.jpg, Washington Trust Co. Building (1925)
File:Westerly station from road.JPG, Westerly Railroad Station (1912)
File:U.S. Post Office, Westerly, Rhode Island.jpg, Westerly Post Office (1914)
See also
*
Wilcox Park Historic District, which partially overlaps this district
*
North End Historic District (Westerly, Rhode Island)
The North End Historic District is a predominantly residential historic district in northwestern Westerly, Rhode Island. The area traces the industrial development of Westerly, with proximity to both its central business district as well as w ...
*
References
External links
Westerly Pawcatuck Downtown Business Association*
{{National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island, state=collapsed
U.S. Route 1
Westerly, Rhode Island
Historic districts in Washington County, Rhode Island
Historic American Buildings Survey in Rhode Island
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island
National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Rhode Island