Fairfield County Courthouse (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
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The Fairfield County Courthouse, also known as the Court of Common Pleas, is located at 172 Golden Hill Street in downtown
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
. It is also known as Geographical Area (GA) Courthouse No. 2 at Bridgeport. It is a
Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...
brick building built in 1888. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1982. and It still functions as a courthouse where all but the most serious criminal cases are heard.


History

In 1886, when the then-current city hall/county courthouse (now McLevy Hall) proved insufficient for both the growing needs of Bridgeport and
Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio * Fairfield County, South Carolina {{Geodis, uscounty ...
, the county decided to build a new courthouse. Norwalk bid for the new courthouse to be moved there, offering $100,000 towards construction, but the Bridgeport group, including
P.T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding with James Anthony Bailey the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He w ...
, offered $150,000. The building was designed by Bridgeport architect Warren R. Briggs, and was completed and opened in 1888.


Architecture

The Fairfield County Courthouse stands on the northside of downtown Bridgeport, on the north side of Golden Hill Street just west of Main Street. It is a three-story masonry structure, with its exterior clad in brick with brownstone and terra cotta trim. It is set on a high foundation of ashlar granite. The main facade is dominated by a six-story tower at its center, which is capped by a pyramidal roof. The building corners are adorned with crenellated turrets. The main entrance is to one side of the tower, in the center of a series of large round-arch bays, with flanking granite columns.


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 o ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Bridgeport, Connecticut __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Bridgeport, Connecticut. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in the city of Bridgeport ...


References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut Government buildings completed in 1888 Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Bridgeport, Connecticut Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut County courthouses in Connecticut Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut