District Overview Inventory List District Map

Ridgefield 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:
Ridgefield
Year of Establishment:
1964
District Authority:
Historic District Commission
Link to Commission or Municipal Website:
District Character:
Town center
Features:

Buildings, Green, Parks, Others- Memorials, Fountains

Architectural Style:

Colonial, Italianate, Second Empire, Colonial Revival, Greek Revival, Georgian Revival, Queen Anne, Neo-Classical Revival, Others

Era:
18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century

The location and topography of Ridgefield were important to the architectural development of the Ridgefield Center Historic District. Its position on the western edge of Connecticut, 15 miles above Long Island Sound and seven miles below Danbury, was out of the way, and it never became a trading or manufacturing center. The terrain is dominated by parallel north-south ridges that tend to diminish the agricultural value of the land. The Ridgefield Center Historic District's 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-century houses, churches, civic and commercial structures, built side by side and representing various types, ages and styles, are sensitive to one another in scale and setting and form a cohesive district of discrete components. The local historic district includes three areas as described in the 1964 Study Committee report: Main Street South, Main Street North and West Lane. The boundaries of the three areas are discussed below. [NR and 2]

Architecture: The distinction of the architecture in the Ridgefield Center Historic District arises both from the excellence of individual structures and from the panoramic streetscapes that are composed of many buildings constructed over a period of three centuries. Colonial homes, Greek Revival structures, buildings constructed in 19th century picturesque styles, workers' homes from that era and early-20th century examples exist side by side, in their original relationship to one another, providing an excellent visual summary of the history of American architecture in a country town. The buildings of the Ridgefield Center Historic District span three centuries in time and a full range of American architectural styles from the Colonial through the Art Modern. The buildings, most of them of frame construction, relate well to one another in terms of size, scale, materials and spacing and are significant for their integrity and lack of intrusions.

[1] District information retrieved from the town website http://www.ridgefieldct.org/.
[2] Ridgefield Historic District Study Report, 1964, SHPO Library, Hartford.

[NR] Ransom David F., Ridgefield Center National Register District, National Register Nomination Number- 84000817 NRIS, National Park Service, 1984 - http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/84000817.pdf; http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/84000817.pdf

The Central Business District (CBD Zone) of Ridgefield was designated as a –Village District– effective on May 1, 2007 by the Planning and Zoning Commission. This area can be found in –downtown– Ridgefield – primarily Main Street, Bailey Avenue, and parts of Catoonah Street and Prospect Street. [Town website] The Main Street- North and South areas of the local historic district appear to be included in the much larger National Register Historic District while the West Lane area stands as a separate entity towards the southwest.

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