McLevy Hall

Last updated

Bridgeport City Hall
BridgeportCityHall 2.jpg
McLevy Hall in Winter 2012
USA Connecticut location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location202 State Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°10′36″N73°11′27″W / 41.17667°N 73.19083°W / 41.17667; -73.19083
Area1.8 acres (0.73 ha)
Built1854 (1854)
Architect A. J. Davis; J. W. Northrop
Architectural styleClassical Revival, Greek Revival
Part of Bridgeport Downtown South Historic District (ID87001402)
NRHP reference No. 77001387 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 19, 1977
Designated CPSeptember 3, 1987

McLevy Hall is a historic municipal building at 202 State Street in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut. The building was built in 1854 to house both the City Hall and the Fairfield County Courthouse, and served as Bridgeport City Hall into the 1930s. It was renamed McLevy Hall after Bridgeport mayor Jasper McLevy in 1966. [2] The current city hall on Lyon Terrace was built in 1916, [3] however municipal offices continued to occupy McLevy Hall through the 1970s. [2] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 19, 1977. [1]

Contents

City Hall and Courthouse

Locating the Fairfield County Courthouse in Bridgeport was the result of much debate. Fairfield, Connecticut had been the site of the first county seat and courthouse in Fairfield County but by the mid-19th century, not only was the old courthouse insufficient for the county's needs, but the growth of Bridgeport and Norwalk made them more logical choices for county seat and a new courthouse. Bridgeport's offer to pay for the building of a courthouse and jail decided the matter. Bridgeport City Hall was constructed in 1853-54 between State and Bank Streets and cost $75,000. Alexander Jackson Davis designed it in the Greek Revival style to resemble a temple. The building, opened in 1855, had a large ground floor for use as City Hall, two floors for county government and court use and an auditorium, Washington Hall, for public gatherings. In 1886, when Bridgeport City Hall proved insufficient for both the growing needs of city and county, the Fairfield County Courthouse was built nearby. [4]

Lincoln speech

Western view of Bridgeport City Hall, before 1905 Bridgeport City Hall postcard postmarked 1905.jpg
Western view of Bridgeport City Hall, before 1905

On Saturday, March 10, 1860, Abraham Lincoln spoke in Washington Hall at Bridgeport City Hall. Not only was the largest room in the city packed, but a crowd formed outside as well. Lincoln received a standing ovation before taking the 9:07 p.m. train that night back to Manhattan. [5] [6] A plaque marks the site where Lincoln spoke.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfield County, Connecticut</span> County in Connecticut, United States

Fairfield County is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is the most populous county in the state and was also its fastest-growing from 2010 to 2020. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 957,419, representing 26.6% of Connecticut's overall population. The closest to the center of the New York metropolitan area, the county contains four of the state's top 7 largest cities—Bridgeport (1st), Stamford (2nd), Norwalk (6th), and Danbury (7th)—whose combined population of 433,368 is nearly half the county's total population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site</span> United States historic place

The Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site is a historic county courthouse located in Mount Pulaski, Illinois, United States. It was the county seat of Logan County from 1848 until 1855. It is one of only two remaining courthouses from Illinois's Eighth Circuit, the circuit on which central Illinois lawyer Abraham Lincoln carried out much of his practice of law. The courthouse is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency as a state historic site. Visitors are given guided tours of the recreated county offices and courtroom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metamora Courthouse State Historic Site</span> United States historic place

The Metamora Courthouse State Historic Site is a historic American courthouse located in Metamora, Illinois, the former county seat of Woodford County. The courthouse was built in 1845 as the governmental center for Woodford County and as a circuit court for the former Illinois Eighth Circuit. The courthouse is best known for being one of only two surviving Illinois circuit courthouses where future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln practiced law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnum Museum</span> History Museum in Connecticut, U.S.

The Barnum Museum is a museum at 820 Main Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. It has an extensive collection related to P. T. Barnum and the history of Bridgeport, and is housed in a historic building on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Bridgeport, Connecticut</span>

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 of shipbuilding, whaling and rapid growth. Bridgeport's growth accelerated even further from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century with the advent of the railroad, Industrialization, massive immigration, labor movements until, at its peak population in 1950, Bridgeport with some 159,000 people was Connecticut's second most populous city. In the late 20th century, Bridgeport's history was one of deindustrialization and declining population, though it overtook Hartford as the state's most populous city by 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Rock Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Black Rock Historic District is a predominantly residential historic district in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. At that time it included 109 contributing buildings. The historic district surrounds at the upper reaches of Black Rock Harbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Bridgeport, Connecticut</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tolland County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Old Tolland County Courthouse is a historic former courthouse at 53 Tolland Green in Tolland, Connecticut. Built in 1822 it was used as a county courthouse until the 1890s. It housed the Tolland Public Library from 1899 to 1985. Now a history museum operated by the Tolland Historical Society, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgeport, Connecticut</span> City in the United States

Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Island Sound, it is a port city 60 miles (97 km) from Manhattan and 40 miles (64 km) from The Bronx. It is bordered by the towns of Trumbull to the north, Fairfield to the west, and Stratford to the east. Bridgeport and other towns in Fairfield County make up the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, as well as the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk-Danbury metropolitan statistical area, the second largest metropolitan area in Connecticut. The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk-Danbury metropolis forms part of the New York metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert C. Nash</span> American architect (1825 - 1890)

Albert C. Nash (1825-1890) was an American architect best known for his work in Milwaukee and Cincinnati.

<i>Seated Lincoln</i> (Borglum) United States historic place

Seated Lincoln is a 1911 sculpture by Gutzon Borglum, located next to the Essex County Veterans Courthouse in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1995, for its significance in art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfield County Courthouse (Bridgeport, Connecticut)</span> United States historic place

The Fairfield County Courthouse, also known as the Court of Common Pleas, is located at 172 Golden Hill Street in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is also known as Geographical Area (GA) Courthouse No. 2 at Bridgeport. It is a Richardsonian Romanesque brick building built in 1888. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It still functions as a courthouse where all but the most serious criminal cases are heard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren R. Briggs</span> American architect

Warren R. Briggs (1850–1933) was an American architect who worked in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgeport Downtown South Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Bridgeport Downtown South Historic District encompasses the historic elements of the southern part of downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is 27 acres (11 ha) in size, roughly bordered on the east by Main and Middle Streets, on the north by Elm Street, the west by Broad Street, and the south by Cesar Batalla Way. This area includes the highest concentration of buildings developed in the commercial downtown between about 1840 and the 1930s, the period of the city's major growth as a manufacturing center, and includes a diversity of architectural styles representative of that time period. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Peter (Danbury, Connecticut)</span> Church in Connecticut, United States

St. Peter is a Roman Catholic church in Danbury, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport. St. Peter's was the first Catholic church built in northern Fairfield County. It is the third oldest parish, and the fifth oldest Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Bridgeport. St. Peter's was originally a predominantly Irish congregation. Danbury's Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade steps off in front of St. Peter's. In more recent time, the parish has a significant number of parishioners of Latino and Brazilian heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgeport Downtown North Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Bridgeport Downtown North Historic District encompasses a portion of the commercial downtown of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It isroughly bounded on the north by Congress Street, the east by Water and Middle Streets, the south by Fairfield Avenue, and the west by Lyon Terrace, roughly the northeastern quadrant of the downtown area. It is one of two large clusters of historically significant commercial and civic buildings encapsulating the city's growth as an urban industrial and regional government center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Beach</span> Historic hotel in Bridgeport, Connecticut

The Hotel Beach, also known historically as the Hotel Barnum, is a historic hotel building at 140 Fairfield Ave. in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is a thirteen-story Art Deco tower built in 1927 and designed by Thomas, Martin & Kirkpatrick. It is one of the city's outstanding Art Deco buildings, built when the city was at its peak. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is a contributing building in the Bridgeport Downtown North Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1987. It is currently a residential apartment building called Barnum House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Perry County Courthouse (Ohio)</span> United States historic place

The Old Perry County Courthouse is a historic government building in the village of Somerset, Ohio, United States. Built in the 1820s as a courthouse, it is one of Ohio's oldest existing buildings constructed for that purpose, and it has seen the controversy of a county seat war. For much of its history, it has served as Somerset's village hall, and it is located within a federally designated historic district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perry County Courthouse (Ohio)</span> Local government building in the United States

The Perry County Courthouse is a historic government building in the city of New Lexington, Ohio, United States. Built near the end of the nineteenth century after the end of a county seat war, it is the fifth courthouse to serve Perry County, and it has been named a historic site because of its imposing architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnsboro Historic District</span> Historic district in South Carolina, United States

Winnsboro Historic District is a national historic district located at Winnsboro, Fairfield County, South Carolina. The district encompasses 33 contributing buildings and 1 contributing site in the county seat of Winnsboro. The district features a wide range of architectural styles, from early simple frame houses that reflect utilitarian aspects of the Scotch-Irish, the first principal settlers, to pronounced styles such as Federal and Greek Revival. Many residences are typical upcountry frame houses, built in an L-shape with long piazzas running across the front. Notable buildings include the Town Clock, Fairfield County Courthouse, Thespian Hall, Fairfield Country Club, Mt. Zion Elementary, the separately listed Ketchin Building, Beatty House, Wolfe House, Kirkpatrick House, Neil House, and Williford House / Town Hall. The Fairfield Country Club was built in 1822 under the supervision of Robert Mills.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. August 5, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Bruce Clouette (September 19, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form" (pdf). National Park Service. Retrieved July 28, 2010. and 4 accompanying photographs.
  3. "45 Lyon Tr (35/ 907/ 3/ / )". Tax Assessor, City of Bridgeport. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  4. "Fairfield County Courthouse at Bridgeport Golden Hill". State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  5. Burr, Raymond F., Abraham Lincoln: Western Star Over Connecticut, Lithographics Inc., Canton, Connecticut (no year given), pages 1 and 15; book contents reprinted by permission of the Lincoln Herald, (Harrogate, Tennessee) Summer, Fall and Winter, 1983 and Spring and Summer, 1984
  6. Holzer, Harold, Lincoln at Cooper Union, (Simon & Schuster: New York), 2004 Chapter 8: "Unable to Escape This Toil," p. 201 ISBN   0-7432-2466-3