District Overview Inventory List District Map

20 and 26 Morningside Drive South 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:
Westport
Year of Establishment:
2007
District Authority:
Westport Historic District Commission
Link to Commission or Municipal Website:
District Character:
Single property district
Features:

Buildings, Open space

Architectural Style:

Italianate

Era:
19th Century, 20th Century

The property known as 20 and 26 Morningside Drive South sits in a typical New England wooded coastal plain area, formerly farm land, close to Long Island Sound between the Merritt Parkway and Interstate-95 in the Greens Farms section of Westport. The modest Italianate style Elwood-Hughes house is only one of a few remaining mid-nineteenth century farmhouses in the immediate area. The extant, center-hall plan, two-story farmhouse on the property was originally constructed in 1853. A lawn area covers the western, eastern and southern portions of the property. Features on the site include mature plantings and gardens, some of which were formally planned in the 1920s by George and Elizabeth Hughes. Large mature deciduous trees are placed throughout the site. A rustic trellis and enclosed garden area remains on the southern end of the property and a gabled storage shed with decorative trellis work is places at the west end of the lawn area. [2]

The Elwood-Hughes House remains as one of the last extant mid-nineteenth century Italianate farmhouses in the area. Despite changes to the building in the early twentieth century, the placement of the house and its relationship to the street remain intact. The majority of the house and interior details reflect a period in American history when the style became the pre-dominant model for domestic architecture. Because period documentation of the twentieth- century changes exist, it is also important to recognize the stylistic evolution of the house and the property. It is particularly important to acknowledge the contribution of the then-owners in choosing to save the historic character if the house as Westport evolved into a modern suburban community. [2]

[1] District information retrieved from the town website http://www.westportct.gov/.
[2] Town Ordinance, Town of Westport, 20 and 26 Morningside Drive South historic district, 2007, SHPO Library, Hartford.
[4] Assessor information retrieved from the website www.visionappraisal.com.
[5] Westport Historic Resource Inventories accessed from the town website [http://www.westportct.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=910].
[6] Historic District handbook accessed in the town website [http://www.westportct.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=280].
[7] GIS information retrieved from http://webmap.jws.com/taxmap/viewer.aspx?JWSCONFIG=CT_Westport.

None

Date of Compilation:
12/31/11
Compiler:
Manjusha Patnaik, CT Trust for Historic Preservation