Bridgeport City Hall

Bridgeport City Hall

The City Hall of Bridgeport, Connecticut in Winter 2012.
Location 202 State Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°10′36″N 73°11′27″W / 41.17667°N 73.19083°W / 41.17667; -73.19083Coordinates: 41°10′36″N 73°11′27″W / 41.17667°N 73.19083°W / 41.17667; -73.19083
Area 1.8 acres (0.73 ha)
Built 1854
Architect A. J. Davis; J. W. Northrop
Architectural style Classical Revival, Greek Revival
Part of Bridgeport Downtown South Historic District (#87001402)
NRHP Reference # 77001387[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP September 19, 1977
Designated CP September 3, 1987

The old Bridgeport City Hall is located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The building was built in 1854 as both the City Hall and the Fairfield County Courthouse and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 19, 1977. The old city hall was renamed McLevy Hall after Bridgeport mayor, Jasper McLevy in 1966.[2]

City Hall and Courthouse

Locating the Fairfield County Courthouse in Bridgeport was the result of much debate. Fairfield, Connecticut had been the site of the first county seat and courthouse in Fairfield County but by the mid-19th century, not only was the old courthouse insufficient for the county's needs, but the growth of Bridgeport and Norwalk made them more logical choices for county seat and a new courthouse. Bridgeport's offer to pay for the building of a courthouse and jail decided the matter. Bridgeport City Hall was constructed in 1853-54 between State and Bank Streets and cost $75,000. Alexander Jackson Davis designed it in the Greek Revival style to resemble a temple. The building, opened in 1855, had a large ground floor for use as City Hall, two floors for county government and court use and an auditorium, Washington Hall, for public gatherings. In 1886, when Bridgeport City Hall proved insufficient for both the growing needs of city and county, the Fairfield County Courthouse was built nearby.[3]

Lincoln speech

Western view of Bridgeport City Hall, before 1905

On Saturday, March 10, 1860, Abraham Lincoln spoke in Washington Hall at Bridgeport City Hall. Not only was the largest room in the city packed, but a crowd formed outside as well. Lincoln received a standing ovation before taking the 9:07 p.m. train that night back to Manhattan.[4][5] A plaque marks the site where Lincoln spoke.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-08-05.
  2. ↑ Bruce Clouette (1977-09-19). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form" (pdf). National Park Service. Retrieved 2010-07-28. and 4 accompanying photographs.
  3. ↑ "Fairfield County Courthouse at Bridgeport Golden Hill". State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  4. ↑ Burr, Raymond F., Abraham Lincoln: Western Star Over Connecticut, Lithographics Inc., Canton, Connecticut (no year given), pages 1 and 15; book contents reprinted by permission of the Lincoln Herald, (Harrogate, Tennessee) Summer, Fall and Winter, 1983 and Spring and Summer, 1984
  5. ↑ Holzer, Harold, Lincoln at Cooper Union, (Simon & Schuster: New York), 2004 Chapter 8: "Unable to Escape This Toil," p. 201 ISBN 0-7432-2466-3
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