Barnum-Palliser 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:
- Bridgeport
- Year of Establishment:
- 1990
- District Authority:
- Historic District Commission No. 1
- Link to Commission or Municipal Website:
- District Character:
- Urban neighborhood
- Features:
- Architectural Style:
Three of the Palliser buildings–266-8 and 257-9 Gregory Street and 341 Myrtle Avenue, are built in the Italianate style with flat roofs, heavy moldings, and other characteristics of this type. The remainder are in a style perhaps best termed "Eastlake", a Victorian Gothic style mingled with early Queen Anne, which employed Queen Anne massing, geometric detail, a linear arrangement of structural members, and decorative panels as highlights with incised sunflower, fan or sunburst motif. The Palliser buildings are all characterized by uniform setbacks, complimentary cornice heights, and overall massing, fenestration, porch design etc that relates noticeably from house to house. The other 9 residential buildings are spread throughout District are included for purposes of continuity. They are of either Italianate style (all constructed or remodeled in the decade of the 1870s) or Queen Anne (dating from the later 1880s and 1890s). Without exception they enhance the development houses by contributing to the enclosure of the block fronts, and are compatible in terms of scale, architectural design, and degree of preservation of the original fabric. The streetscapes are fairly uniform in overall feeling but varied in individual architectural treatment. [NR]
- Era:
- 19th century
Buildings [33 framed residences and one brick school house]
The Barnum-Palliser Development Historic District is a collection of 33 frame residential structures and a brick school house that comprise a working-class Victorian community in the South End of Bridgeport. The majority of structures in the District (22) are of the double-house type, and of these all but one (the Keating House at 349-51 Gregory Street) were constructed as a planned development by the architectural firm of Palliser, Palliser & Company in the period 1882- 1885. There is also a 4-unit block of row houses (374-84 Atlantic Street) and two single family houses (276 Gregory Street and 341 Myrtle Avenue) that are also attributable to the firm. [NR]
Architecture and Community planning: The Barnum/Palliser Development is an urban-scaled neighborhood of innovatively-designed working-class housing. It is associated with the real estate development aspect of the life of the important 19th-century showman P.T. Barnum (Criterion B); is reflective of his relationship with and philanthropic attitude toward those of a less favored social class, an important late-19th-century trend (Criterion A), and is primarily the work of the nationally-known architectural firm of Palliser, Palliser & Company (Criterion C). Of the four moderate-income housing developments this Bridgeport-based firm is known to have been responsible for in that city, this represents the only instance where the principals were actually owners of some of the properties, as well as the only such development which consists mostly of double houses. The work of another major architect, Warren R. Briggs, is also represented in the District in both earlier and later portions of the Myrtle Avenue School (Criterion C). [NR]
[1] District information and maps obtained from the town website www.bridgeportct.gov. [2]Assessors information retrieved from the website visionappraisal.com. [3]GIS information retrieved on from the website http://gis.cdm.com/BridgeportCT/map.htm.[4] Historic buildings survey data base documentation, Bridgeport, Connecticut Historical Commission, 1997.[NR] Brilvitch Charles W. , Barnum/Palliser Historic District, National Register Nomination Number- 82000995 NRIS, National Park Service, 1982 - http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/82000995.pdf;http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/82000995.pdf
The property addresses with the parcel numbers denote the owner as in 2011 while the addresses without the parcels numbers note the owners as per 1982 , 82000995 NRIS. Historic District Number 1 is geographically comprised of all areas of City except Stratfield Historic District.
- Date of Compilation:
- 9/15/11
- Compiler:
- Manjusha Patnaik, CT Trust for Historic Preservation