Downtown New Britain is the historic commercial and civic heart of the city of New Britain, Connecticut. It is located in the southern part of the city, anchored by the triangular Central Park and City Hall on the north, and by Franklin Park on the south. The city was one of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

's industrial powerhouses of the 19th and early 20th centuries, which is reflected in the abundance, style, and quality of the architecture found in the downtown. The area 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 ...

in 2016.

History

New Britain is an industrial city located about southwest of

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

. Somewhat uniquely among the state's industrial cities, it is not located along a major waterway, and developed relatively late (mid-19th century) as an industrial center specialized in precision manufacturing. By the end of the 19th century, it was one of Connecticut's most ethnically diverse and prosperous cities, and its downtown area reflects this. Industrial facilities, at first small family operations in or near the downtown, were eventually located outside the downtown, but near transportation routes (particularly the railroads and horse-drawn trolleys), and its industrial workers, management, and leadership all had a presence there. New Britain was incorporated as a city in 1871. The city's prosperity continued until after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, when shifts in transportation and living patterns led to a decline in the downtown area. It was damaged by several major fires in the early 1940, and construction of the access highways prompted a population exodus in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as razing portions of the downtown area. Since the 1970s, city leaders have sought to revitalize the downtown by repurposing its historic buildings and instituting a

complete streets Complete streets is a transportation policy and design approach that requires streets to be planned, designed, operated and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities regardless of ...

policy.Complete Streets Master Plan for New Britain https://urbanengineers.com/projects/master-plan-for-new-britain

Setting

Downtown New Britain is located in the south-central portion of the municipal boundaries, on both sides of

Connecticut Route 72 Route 72 is a state highway in the western part of the Greater Hartford area. Route 72 is an L-shaped route with a north–south section in Plymouth and Harwinton and an east–west section from Bristol to New Britain. Route 72 is a freew ...

and west of

Connecticut Route 9 Route 9 is a , four-lane freeway beginning in Old Saybrook and ending at I-84 near the Farmington–West Hartford town line. It connects the Eastern Coastline of the state along with the Lower Connecticut River Valley to Hartford and the ...

, both limited-access roads serving the city. Near its center is City Hall, located in the former Russwin Hotel building on the north side of Central Park, where the city's Soldiers' Monument is located. The densest commercial development is located west of City Hall, and extending south on Main Street to Arch and Elm Streets. Arch Street and Franklin Square anchor the southern portion of the downtown area, which has more residential elements, including apartment blocks, and a number of churches, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries to serve a diversity of immigrant groups and religious views.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut Historic districts in Hartford County, Connecticut New Britain, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

History

Setting

See also

References