The West Hill Historic District is a prestigious residential subdivision of the town of

West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The population was 64,083 at the 20 ...

. Originally the site of the estate of Cornelius J. Vanderbilt, son of transportation magnate

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

, it was developed as a planned subdivision of upper-class residences in the 1920s. It was established as a local historic district in 1988, and 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 1996.

Description and history

The West Hill subdivision is located east of West Hartford center, on the north side of Farmingtion Avenue between Vanderbilt Road and Hamilton Avenue. West Hill Drive consists of a semi-circular loop with ends on Farmington Avenue, and a longer loop extending northward from that one. The subdivision is flanked on two sides by a low brownstone wall that was originally part of the Vanderbilt estate, and is entered through original openings flanked by piers. The subdivision has 25 residences, set on properties roughly in size. All are two stories in height, and of similar massing and setback, although they differ stylistically. Fourteen of the houses are Colonial Revival in style, nine are Tudor Revival, and two are a combination of the two styles. All but two are finished in either brick or stucco. Land for the West Hill estate was purchased in 1857 by "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt as a place for his epileptic son

Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt (December 29, 1830 – April 2, 1882) was an American socialite and member of the Vanderbilt family. After having a troubled relationship with his father, Cornelius Vanderbilt, he eventually committed suicide at the ag ...

to live. It was not immediately developed, and was sold by the father in 1872 and repurchased by the son in 1879. He had the estate developed, but never lived there, and committed suicide in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1882. The estate was purchased by Ira Dimock in 1888. Dimock's son demolished the mansion in 1918, and platted out the subdivision. The further development of the area was constrained by a number of restrictive covenants, including stipulations that the wall be retained, setbacks of the house from West Hill Drive be exactly , the house cost at least $10,000, and that it be designed by a seller-approved architect. The development process was largely overseen by Dimock's business partner Horace Grant. Early residents of the area were mainly prominent local businessmen.

Gallery

File:West Hill Historic District in West Hartford 2.jpg File:West Hill Historic District in West Hartford 3.jpg File:European_Beech_Tree,_West_Hill,_West_Hartford,_CT_-_May_30,_2015.jpg

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Colonial Revival architecture in Connecticut West Hartford, Connecticut Historic districts in Hartford County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

Description and history

Gallery

See also

References