Historic Districts
New London has thirteen historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office's interactive map also allows you to explore if your home is within one of these districts. You can learn about each district's history and see if your property is listed by clicking "More." If your property is listed in one of these districts, you may be eligible for funding to rehabilitate or restore it.
Civic Institutions Historic District
Containing only 6 buildings, this is the one of the smallest historic districts in New London. The buildings are all surviving examples of the late 19th and early 20th century concepts of institutional care – publicly supported institutions for the poor and sick residents of a city. The almshouse contains fine examples of both Italianate and Georgian Revival styles; while the Mitchell Isolation Hospital is a well-crafted Colonial Revival.
Read more about the Civic Institutions Historic District.
Coit Street Historic District
A compact and cohesive neighborhood, this district contains four of the twelve surviving 18th century houses in New London. The layout of the streets reflects the colonial thoroughfares around Bream Cove, despite the cove being filled in during the 19th century. One of the original areas of settlement in New London (at the edge of the town), it has maintained its residential aspect as the city has grown around it and later 19th century Greek Revival houses joined the early Georgians.
Read more about the Coit Street Historic District.
_JPG.jpg)
Downtown New London Historic District
This district, now known as the Historic Waterfront District, showcases the commercial development of the city in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the 19th century buildings were designed by prominent architects, most notably Union Station, by Henry Hobson Richardson and the Custom House, by Robert Mills. The many side streets included contain an array of urban residential and commercial buildings, dating to the same eras. Ten years after the original district was formed, its boundaries were increased to encompass a larger mix of commercial, religious, public, and residential buildings. Of particular importance is the 1784 Georgian New London County Courthouse at the top of State Street.
Read more about the Downtown New London Historic District.
Hempstead Historic District
The oldest surviving house in New London, the 1678 Hempstead House provides the historical anchor to this urban residential neighborhood adjacent to downtown. Most of the district was rapidly developed in the mid to late 19th century homes for the growing working-class, as well as sites for small manufacturers. This quick growth led to an architecturally cohesive neighborhood that survives to this day, along with important social institutions that grew out of the black community residing there.
Read more about the Hempstead Historic District.
Hodges Square Historic District
The Hodges Square Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. It is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, linking Downtown New London and the Waterfront District. Hodges Square featured one of the earliest industrial mill sites in New England (c. 1650). Its position beside Connecticut College and the Coastguard Academy have marked it as a target for revitalization efforts.
Read more about the Hodges Square Historic District.
Montauk Avenue Historic District
A major streetcar suburb of the city, the Montauk Avenue district was mostly laid out and built up during the first half of the 20th century. It has not experienced many major changes since then. The housing styles popular during that time – Queen Anne and various revivals – are still evident today. The Tudor Revival/Queen Anne house at 58 Bellevue Place is a significant example. It was designed by one of New London’s most prolific architects Dudley St. Clair Donnelly.
Read more about the Montauk Avenue Historic District.
Pequot Colony Historic District
Originally one of Connecticut’s most prominent summer resort communities, the Pequot Colony was the summer residence of many wealthy and distinguished families from 1852 to 1930. Gradually, the district became occupied year-round, both by locally prominent families and the families of workers employed on the larger estates. There are many surviving examples of resort architecture from the late 19th and early 20th century revival styles as the colony underwent the change to permanent occupancy. The 1872 Pequot Chapel at 857 Montauk Ave. is of particular note with its Gothic Revival style and Tiffany windows.
Read more about the Pequot Colony Historic District.
Post Hill Historic District
The District documents the development of one of the oldest parts of New London, from the first European settlement until the mid 20th century. As laid out by John Winthrop Jr., the founder of New London in 1646, this site was the center of the community and the Antientest Burial Place, dating back to 1652, remains there. The District did not see much development until the 19th century when whaling prosperity drove New London’s growth. Williams Park, laid out in 1858, became a focal point for new residences, and many of the city’s business and civic leaders have made Post Hill their home ever since.
Read more about the Post Hill Historic District.
Prospect Street Historic District
A short development period of only 20 years (1838 to 1859) gave this district an intact mid-19th streetscape, which survives today with few later interpolations. Almost all of the houses are modest Italianate and Greek Revivals. The majority of them were the work of two notable local builder/architects, John Bishop and Lewis Crandall. Crandall’s own house, 25 Prospect St, is in this neighborhood.
Read more about the Prospect Street Historic District.
U.S. Housing Corp. Historic District
This district is a well-preserved example of the first federally sponsored housing program in the United States. Practically all the houses were built between 1918 and 1930 in the Colonial Revival style. The site presents a unified, lively neighborhood. Not only are the houses designed to blend together, but planned landscape design adds to the overall visual cohesion. This neighborhood is unique in New London.
Read more about the U.S. Housing Corp. Historic District.
West Coit Street State Historic District
The district illustrates nearly 300 years of residential and commercial development around the former Bream Cove, one of the city’s first settlement areas. The district reflects New London’s evolution from a colonial farming and seafaring community in the 17th and 18th centuries, to a leading whaling port city in the mid-19th century, to a densely-developed industrial center in late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Read more about the West Coit Street State Historic District.
Whale Oil Row
The four Greek Revival buildings that make up Whale Oil Row on Huntington St. are stunning testaments to New London’s whaling prosperity. All four buildings were built between 1835 and 1845 and share soaring Ionic columns and fine classical details. Originally built for some of the city’s wealthiest residents (three of the four original owners made their fortunes through whaling), the buildings are now offices.
Read more about the Whale Oil Row Historic District.
Williams Memorial Park Historic District
This district offers a vivid illustration of the prosperity that whaling brought New London in the mid 19th century. Newly wealthy families built on two sides of Williams Memorial Park established in the late 1860s.The neighborhood continued to attract wealthy development into the early 20th century. Some of these houses are the finest examples of their respective styles in New London: the Tudor Revival of 160 Hempstead St, the Colonial Revival of 164 Hempstead St, and the Gothic Revival of 130 Hempstead St.
Read more about the Williams Memorial Park History District Historical District.
Individually Listed Sites on National Register
Centro de la Comunidad - Ohev Sholem Synagogue
Huntington Street Baptist Church
Monte Cristo Cottage (summer home to Eugene O'Neill)
New London Railroad Station (HH Richardson Union Station)
Winthrop Mill (Old Town Mill)