National Register of Historic Places

Ansonia Library

Ansonia, New Haven County, Connecticut
Listed
August 22, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
85001828

About this property

The Ansonia Library is the public library serving Ansonia, Connecticut. It is located at 53 South Cliff, in an architecturally distinguished Richardsonian Romanesque building designed by Connecticut architect George Keller and completed in 1892 as a gift from Caroline Phelps Stokes. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 23, 1985. The Ansonia Library stands in a mainly residential area a short way east of downtown Ansonia, on a triangular parcel at the junction of South Cliff Street and Cottage Avenue. It is a two-and-a-half-story building with load-bearing brownstone walls, 82 by 70 feet (25 m × 21 m) in plan. Its walls are 2 feet (0.61 m) and thicker. Its asymmetrical plan is visually dominated by a square tower on the left side, with a clock in its upper stage and a pyramidal copper roof. The main entrance is set near the center of the South Cliff facade, recessed under a large round arch. The gable above the entrance has a rose window near its peak. The building was donated by Caroline Phelps Stokes as a memorial to her parents and to her maternal grandfather Anson Greene Phelps, a locally prominent industrialist who founded the Ansonia Brass Works, and for whom the city is named. The building was built on land purchased by Stokes, and was completed in 1892. It was not formally turned over to the city for four years, over disagreements between the family and the city over control of the library and the need for a maintenance fund. A major addition was made to the building's southern end in 1960, designed by O.C.S. Zircoli of Bridgeport. National Register of Historic Places listings in New Haven County, Connecticut

Location

53 South Cliff St.
Ansonia, New Haven County, Connecticut
41.34538, -73.07642

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Upper Main Street Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
US Post Office-Ansonia Main
Industrial
0.2 mi
Mansfield, Richard, House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Humphreys, Gen. David, House
Industrial
1 mi
Wood, Harcourt, Memorial Library
Industrial
1.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Raid on New Haven (Connecticut)
1779Revolutionary War
8.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ansonia Library listed on the National Register?

Ansonia Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 22, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Ansonia Library?

Ansonia Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ansonia Library?

The period of significance for Ansonia Library is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Ansonia Library?

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