Greeneville, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Greeneville is a neighborhood of the city of in Norwich, Connecticut
, located northeast of downtown Norwich
along the west bank of the Shetucket River
. Most of the neighborhood is designated Greeneville Historic District, a historic district
that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The district was listed on the National Register in 2005 and includes 683 contributing buildings, seven other contributing structures, and one other contributing site over a 300 acres (121.4 ha) area.
The district is drawn to "correspond to the village as it was laid out in 1833, but also include additional streets laid out and developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to accommodate population growth. Areas north and south of the district boundaries were excluded...." as those areas included undeveloped land, or fewer contributing relative to non-contributing buildings, or reflected a "shift in architectural character."
According to the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation the district "is a historically significant industrial village that was created to support and sustain water-powered industry from 1828 to about 1940. Much of the enduring success of this industrial enterprise can be attributed to the entrepreneurial vision of industrialist William P. Greene (1795–1862). His development of this planned community and a company to deliver a centralized power system, combined with significant technological infrastructure improvements in the late 19th century, supported the largest industrial presence in Norwich. Although nominally a part of the City of Norwich after 1875, from its creation in 1833 until after World War I Greeneville remained a relatively independent and self-sufficient, working-class community-an evolution fully expressed by the district's large, cohesive collection of generally well-preserved domestic, institutional and commercial architecture. While much of the architecture has the vernacular character expected in a mill town, the district also includes representative examples of the major styles of the period, including Greek Revival
, Second Empire, Italianate
, and Carpenter Gothic."
Norwich, Connecticut
Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...
, located northeast of downtown Norwich
Downtown Norwich Historic District
The Downtown Norwich Historic District is a historic district representing the core of the downtown area of the city of Norwich, Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985...
along the west bank of the Shetucket River
Shetucket River
The Shetucket River is a tributary of the Thames River, long, in eastern Connecticut in the United States.It is formed at Willimantic by the junction of the Willimantic and Natchaug rivers. It flows southeast and south...
. Most of the neighborhood is designated Greeneville Historic District, a historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The district was listed on the National Register in 2005 and includes 683 contributing buildings, seven other contributing structures, and one other contributing site over a 300 acres (121.4 ha) area.
The district is drawn to "correspond to the village as it was laid out in 1833, but also include additional streets laid out and developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to accommodate population growth. Areas north and south of the district boundaries were excluded...." as those areas included undeveloped land, or fewer contributing relative to non-contributing buildings, or reflected a "shift in architectural character."
According to the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation the district "is a historically significant industrial village that was created to support and sustain water-powered industry from 1828 to about 1940. Much of the enduring success of this industrial enterprise can be attributed to the entrepreneurial vision of industrialist William P. Greene (1795–1862). His development of this planned community and a company to deliver a centralized power system, combined with significant technological infrastructure improvements in the late 19th century, supported the largest industrial presence in Norwich. Although nominally a part of the City of Norwich after 1875, from its creation in 1833 until after World War I Greeneville remained a relatively independent and self-sufficient, working-class community-an evolution fully expressed by the district's large, cohesive collection of generally well-preserved domestic, institutional and commercial architecture. While much of the architecture has the vernacular character expected in a mill town, the district also includes representative examples of the major styles of the period, including Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
, Second Empire, Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
, and Carpenter Gothic."
See also
- Neighborhoods of Norwich, ConnecticutNeighborhoods of Norwich, ConnecticutSeveral neighborhoods of Norwich, Connecticut maintain independent identities and are recognized by official signs marking their boundaries. The following is a list of neighborhoods in Norwich.-Bean Hill:...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut