Norwich City Hall, Union Square, Norwich, New London County

Norwich City Hall, Union Square, Norwich, New London County – Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Historic American Building Survey

Connecticut’s built environment is an eclectic mix of buildings, structures, and landscapes. From the remains of Native American pit houses some 9,000 years old to the humblest saltbox houses of the 1600s, from parks created during the City Beautiful movement to modernist and post-modern skyscrapers that punctuate our skyline, the state’s architecture tells the story of a diverse and emergent society. With the passage of the Historic Preservation Act in the 1960s, many of the state’s resources have been protected, surveyed, and documented so that the histories of the lives and times they represent can enrich our understanding of the past. As new construction methods and styles appear, we continue to design and build, adding to the state’s already distinctive cultural landscape.

More on Architecture from the CT Digital Archive

Browse more interactive content on the CT Digital Archive website.

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Merritt Parkway, New York to Connecticut, 1941

Merritt Parkway Creates Scenic Gateway to New England

This Depression-era road improvement project sought to artfully balance the natural and built environments.  …[more]

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Websites

“Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation,” 2017. Link.
“Hartford Preservation Alliance,” 2017. Link.
Connecticut Historical Society. “Hartford: West End Architecture,” 2017. Link.
“Historic Buildings of Connecticut,” 2017. Link.
“Merritt Parkway Conservancy,” 2017. Link.
National Park Service. “National Register of Historic Places (Database),” 2017. Link.
“New Haven Preservation Trust,” 2017. Link.
Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development. “State Register of Historic Places,” 2017. Link.
Connecticut State Library. “WPA Architectural Survey,” 2017. Link.

Places

“Connecticut State Capitol Tours,” 2017. Link.
Connecticut: Department of Economic & Community Development. “Henry Whitfield State Museum,” 2017. Link.
“Hill-Stead Museum,” 2017. Link.
“The Philip Johnson Glass House,” 2017. Link.
“Thomas Lee House and Museum,” 2017. Link.

Documents

Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Digital Photograph Collection: Merritt Parkway Construction,” 2017. Link.
Yale University Library, Manuscripts and Archives, Sterling Memorial Library. “Guide to the Henry Austin Papers,” 2017. Link.
New Haven Museum. “J. Frederick Kelly: MSS 270 - Alphabetical Index of Manuscript Collections,” 2017. Link.
“Map - Plan of New Haven. to the Mayor, Aldermen & Common Council of the City of New Haven This Plan Is with All Due Respect Most Humbly Dedicated by Their Most Obedient Humble Servant, Amos Doolittle.” New Haven, CT: A. Doolittle, Engraver, circa 1800s. Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
New Haven Museum. “New Haven Architects: MSS 266 - Alphabetical Index of Manuscript Collections,” 2017. Link.
Yale University Library, Manuscripts and Archives. “Richard Charles Lee Papers (MS 318),” 2017. Link.
New Haven Museum. “Town, Ithiel: MSS 105 - Alphabetical Index of Manuscript Collections,” 2017. Link.

Books

Hosley, William N, and G.W.R. Ward, eds. “Architecture.” In The Great River: Art & Society of the Connecticut Valley, 1635-1820. Hartford, CT: Wadsworth Atheneum, 1985.
Garvan, Anthony N. B. Architecture and Town Planning in Colonial Connecticut. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1951.
Warren, William Lamson. Connecticut Art and Architecture: Looking Backwards Two Hundred Years. Hartford: American Revolution Bicentennial Commission of Connecticut, 1976.
O’Gorman, James F. Connecticut Valley Vernacular: The Vanishing Landscape and Architecture of the New England Tobacco Fields. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002.
Kelly, J. Frederick. Connecticut’s Old Houses; a Handbook and a Guide. Stonington, CT: Antiquarian & Landmarks Society, 1960.
Isham, Norman Morrison, and Albert F. Brown. Early Connecticut Houses; an Historical and Architectural Study. New York: Dover Publications, 1965.
Kelly, J. Frederick. Early Connecticut Meetinghouses: Being an Account of the Church Edifices Built Before 1830, Based Chiefly Upon Town and Parish Records. Vol. 1 & 2. New York: Columbia University Press, 1948.
Brown, Elizabeth Mills. New Haven, a Guide to Architecture and Urban Design. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1976.
Kelly, J. Frederick. The Early Domestic Architecture of Connecticut. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1924.