Parkside Historic District (Hartford, Connecticut)

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Parkside Historic District
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Location 176-230 Wethersfield Ave. (even numbers), Hartford, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°45′1″N72°40′26″W / 41.75028°N 72.67389°W / 41.75028; -72.67389 Coordinates: 41°45′1″N72°40′26″W / 41.75028°N 72.67389°W / 41.75028; -72.67389
Area 2.6 acres (1.1 ha)
Built 1885 (1885)
Architectural style Colonial Revival, Queen Anne
NRHP reference # 84001048 [1]
Added to NRHP May 31, 1984

The Parkside Historic District encompasses a fine collection of Queen Anne Victorian houses lining the east side of Wethersfield Avenue north of Wawarme Avenue in southern Hartford, Connecticut. This area was developed in the 1880s and 1890s by Mrs. Elizabeth Jarvis Colt, widow of arms manufacturer Samuel Colt, out of a portion of their extensive estate. Of this development, a row of nine houses now remains; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. [1]

Hartford, Connecticut Capital of Connecticut

Hartford is the capital city of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. The city is nicknamed the "Insurance Capital of the World", as it hosts many insurance company headquarters and is the region's major industry. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford area of Connecticut. Census estimates since the 2010 United States Census have indicated that Hartford is the fourth-largest city in Connecticut, behind the coastal cities of Bridgeport, New Haven, and Stamford.

Elizabeth Jarvis Colt was the widow and heir of firearms manufacturer Samuel Colt, founder of Colt's Manufacturing Company.

Samuel Colt American inventor and industrialist

Samuel Colt was an American inventor, industrialist, businessman, and hunter. He initiated Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company and made the mass production of revolvers viable commercially.

Contents

Description and history

When Samuel Colt established his arms factory in Hartford, part of the adjacent land became his extensive personal estate. The bulk of that estate became Hartford's Colt Park, with his mansion house, Armsmear, a National Historic Landmark and part of the nascent Coltsville National Historical Park at the northwest corner. South of Armsmear, along Wethersfield Avenue, the estate grounds housed an apple orchard. Colt built a home for his brother James south of Armsmear in 1856. Colt's widow Elizabeth, for reasons unknown, began building houses and selling off lots for development between that house and Wawarme Avenue in the 1880s. She had four houses built, of which two still survive, and sold off eight lots, all of which were eventually built on, with seven of the houses surviving. The west side of Wethersfield Avenue was also developed in the second half of the 19th century with fine Victorian houses; almost all have been torn down and replaced by apartment blocks. [2]

Armsmear

Armsmear, also known as the Samuel Colt Home, is a historic house located at 80 Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut. It was the family home of firearm manufacturer Samuel Colt. Armsmear was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1976; this designation was expanded in 2008 to form the Coltsville Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District.

National Historic Landmark formal designation assigned by the United States federal government to historic buildings and sites in the United States

A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Of over 90,000 places listed on the country's National Register of Historic Places, only some 2,500 are recognized as National Historic Landmarks.

James B. Colt House

The James B. Colt House is a historic house at 154 Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut. Built in 1855, it is a high-quality example of Italianate architecture. It was built for James B. Colt, the brother of industrialist Samuel Colt, whose Armsmear estate is just to the north. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

The collection of nine surviving buildings represent one of Hartford's finest concentrations of high-style Queen Anne architecture. They share a uniformity of placement and scale, with similar setbacks and massing, and all 2-1/2 stories set on brownstone foundations. Six have at least partially brick exteriors, while the other three are frame structures finished in clapboards and shingles. All have asymmetrical massing, with projecting gables and bays typical of the Queen Anne period. Notable among them is the c. 1900 home of builder William Scoville at 190 Wethersfield Avenue, which has an octagonal tower at one corner. Scoville is credited with building this house and two others in the row; other architects involved in building these house are Frederick Comstock (one) and Brooks Lincoln (three). [2]

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford, Connecticut Wikimedia list article

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

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