The Flanders 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 ...

that encompasses a small cluster of late-18th to early-19th century residential structures north of the center of

Kent, Connecticut Kent is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located alongside the border with New York, the town's population was 3,019 according to the 2020 census. Kent is home to three boarding schools: Kent School, the Marvelwood School ...

, which was the original heart of the community when it was first settled. It is centered at the junction of

United States Route 7 U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for through the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 (I-95) exit 1 ...

with Cobble Road and Studio Hill Road. The area was supplanted by the current town center in the 1840s. 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 1979.

Description and history

The town of Kent was established in 1738, with the

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

auctioning off land in this area late in that year. Settlers soon arrived, and the Flanders area became the town's main settlement. The oldest deeded house is The Nathaniel Slosson Homestead c. 1739, built during the settling of Kent. The area remained of civic importance until the 1840s, when a railroad stop was established further south. This resulted in the migration of economic and civic functions to that area, which is where the present town center is. Since then, the Flanders area has been a quiet rural residential village. The historic district is centered at the junction of US 7 with Cobble Road and Studio Hill Road, and covers about . It includes twelve major buildings, of which five are large Federal style houses, three are older colonial-era buildings, and two later Greek Revival structures. All of these building exhibit vernacular interpretations of those styles, with simplified decorative elements. Interior decorative elements also tend to be modest, with elaborate detailing often found only in the "best" parlor. The Federal period houses, for example, are built using traditional colonial forms, lacking period innovations such as hip roofs, but have Federal style pilasters at the corners, and may include some carved woodwork in the cornice.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Historic districts in Litchfield County, Connecticut Greek Revival houses in Connecticut Colonial architecture in Connecticut Federal architecture in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Litchfield County, Connecticut Kent, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References