The Sterling Hill Historic District in
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...
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 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 1992.
[ The district is a two-block area of 43 urban residential structures dating as far back as 1821. Most of the buildings are from later in the 19th century when the neighborhood was largely occupied by ]Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
working-class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
residents. Most of the early buildings are vernacular wood-frame structures with modest Federal, Greek Revival, or Gothic Revival details, while the later additions include multiunit tenement-style buildings. The area includes the oldest urbanized part of the city.[ and .]
Description and history
Sterling Hill is located on the northwest side of Bridgeport's Golden Hill. It is named for Sylvanus Sterling, a saddle manufacturer in the early 19th century, whose house still stands on Milne Street, and who developed the area following Bridgeport's incorporation in 1821. Early development of the area provided homes for wealthy local businessmen, who liked the views from the hillside over the developing port and business center. In the 1830s, the construction of the first railroad through Bridgeport brought an influx of Irish laborers, with tenement-style housing accompanying the subdivision of the older residences into multiunit housing. Growth continued after the Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, when gentrification replaced many tenement-style buildings with more stylish late Victorian multiunit buildings. Urban renewal claimed a significant portion of the neighborhood in the 20th century, but the area roughly bounded Pequonnock Street, Harral Avenue, James Street, and Washington Avenue retains architectural traces of this development history.[
]
See also
*History of Bridgeport, Connecticut
The history of Bridgeport, Connecticut was, in the late 17th and most of the 18th century, one of land acquisitions from the native inhabitants, farming and fishing. From the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century, Bridgeport's history was one ...
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Geography of Bridgeport, Connecticut
Historic districts in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Federal architecture in Connecticut
Gothic Revival architecture in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut