The Tolland Green Historic District consists of over 50 houses and other buildings concentrated around a long strip of open land known as Tolland Green. Although the Tolland Green Historic District's buildings are a mixture of residential, religious, and public properties, the greatest number are houses dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries. The Tolland Green Historic District's oldest houses, dating from the middle to late 18th century, exhibit the typical features of colonial Connecticut's domestic architecture: broad-side-to-the-road orientation, clapboarded exterior, small-pane divided sash, and plain detail. Early 19th-century buildings in the Tolland Green Historic District have their gable end facing the street and Federal and Greek Revival details such as pilasters, fanlights, and full cornice returns. In addition to the houses, the Tolland Green Historic District includes several institutional buildings. The Green itself consists of two sections set end-to-end running in a north-south direction, with roads along either side. For the most part, it is devoid of fencing, curbs, and walks. Plantings are limited to a few shade trees along the central axis of the Green, so that aside from better-paved roads, its appearance today is not markedly different from that of the 1830s. [NR]

Architecture, Exploration/Settlement, Social History:The Tolland Green Historic District is significant for its landscape qualities as a relatively original-appearing village green; for its historical associations with institutions and people important in the development of the area as a town center; and for the architectural qualities of its buildings, many of which represent well-preserved examples of particular periods and styles of architecture. The Green was the location of three of Tolland's earliest churches, as well as the place where town meetings were held and many social organizations staged their functions. In addition to being a religious, political, and social focus for the surrounding areas of Tolland, the Green for many years was the seat of government for all of Tolland County, an historical role still in evidence today in the former courthouse, county house, and jail. Along with a former school and town hall, historic churches, numerous well-preserved residences from the 18th and 19th centuries, old barns, former inns and stores, and the Green itself, these buildings give the Tolland Green Historic District a distinctive sense of time and place. [NR]

[1] District information retrieved from the town website http://www.tolland.org/.
[2] Tolland Green Historic District Study Committee Report, 1990, SHPO Library, Hartford.
[3] Assessors information and Parcel IDs retrieved from the website http://data.visionappraisal.com/TollandCT/search.asp.
[NR] Clouette Bruce and Tinh Hoang, Tolland Green Historic District, National Register Nomination Number- 97000832 NRIS, National Park Service, 1997 - http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/97000832.pdf; http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/97000832.pdf.

The Tolland Green National Register Historic District approximates the boundary of the Tolland Green local historic district but includes three more properties. [NR]