District Overview Inventory List District Map

City Point Historic District

LHD boundaries as described are approximate and subject to change. Consult the LHD Study Report on file with the relevant local district commission or municipal authority to verify district boundaries and whether a specific property, particularly one in proximity of a boundary line, is within the district. Also note that LHD boundaries may differ from those of State or National Register Districts.

Town:
New Haven
Year of Establishment:
2001
District Authority:
Historic District Commission
Link to Commission or Municipal Website:
District Character:
Urban neighborhood
Features:

Buildings, Parks, Monument, Water front, Other- Sewage treatment, Boat slips

Architectural Style:

Greek revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Stick style, Colonial revival, Revival/ eclectic styles, Vernacular, Modern

Era:
19th century, 20th Century

City Point Historic District, which is bounded on the north by the Interstate 95 and on the south by New Haven Harbor, encompasses about 30 acres. Historically known as Oyster Point, the area is the southern tip of the peninsula called City Point, a residential neighborhood that once extended north all the way to Columbus Avenue. Despite its relative isolation, the area continued to flourish. Today the district is still a vital well-preserved neighborhood, one which displays exceptional architectural integrity. Howards Avenue, the spine of the district, still connects it to the rest of the city. Other streets in the district are Greenwich Avenue, Sixth Street, Hallock Avenue and most of the Sea and South Water Streets. Almost 100 residential historic properties are found are found along these streets as well as several historic and modern commercial properties at the waterfront. Bayview Park on the northeast and the site of the old Bolevard Sewage Treatment Plant on the eastern edge of the neighborhood are also included. [1]

Architecture, Maritime history, Commerce: An exceptionally cohesive, well-preserved urban residential neighborhood, the Oyster Point Historic District is historically significant for its maritime associations, specifically the oystering industry which flourished there between 1840 and 1925. The district contains representative examples of vernacular domestic architecture of exceptional quality and variety constructed during its period of significance by carpenter builders. Of particular importance are the oystermen's houses, a distinctive building type built in the mid-nineteenth century and first influenced by the Greek Revival style, and the many fine Queen Anne-style houses of the later nineteenth century. [NR]

[1] City Point Historic District Study Committee, City Point Historic District Report, 1999.
[2] Assessor information retrieved from the website www.visionappraisal.com.
[3] District information and maps retrieved from the town website http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/.
[4] Additional information retrieved from http://www.nhpt.org/.
[NR] Cunningham Jan, Oyster Point Historic District, National Register Nomination Number- 89001085 NRIS, National Park Service, 1989 - http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/89001085.pdf; http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/89001085.pdf

The boundaries of the local historic district and the National Register historic district are not coterminous.

Date of Compilation:
9/15/11
Compiler:
Manjusha Patnaik, CT Trust for Historic Preservation