National Register of Historic Places

Benedict House and Shop

Ridgefield, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Listed
December 4, 1998
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
98001440

About this property

The Benedict House and Shop is a historic property at 57 Rockwell Road in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Built in 1740, the connected house and shop are among the oldest surviving buildings in the community. The shop is a particularly rare example of a cobbler's workshop of the 19th century. They are further notable for the sympathetic restoration they underwent at the hands of architect Cass Gilbert. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1998. The Benedict House and Shop stand southeast of Ridgefield's town center, on a sloping lot overlooking Rockwell Road to the south. The house is a 1+1⁄2-story timber-frame structure, with a gabled roof and off-center chimney. The first floor of the facade is sheltered by a hip-roofed porch with square posts, with small (apparently original) fixed six-pane windows between the porch roof and main roof cornice. Attached to the left side of the house is the workshop, a single-story timber structure with gabled roof, which is set on a high foundation due to the steeply sloping terrain. The interior of the house is a modified center chimney plan, owing to the addition of the third bay during Cass Gilbert's restoration. The house was built in 1740 for a member of the Benedict family, who were among the first colonial settlers of the town.. It is significant as a rare surviving example of a colonial artisan's workshop. Although the early residents of the house (all Benedicts) were apparently engaged in a variety of rural agricultural and business pursuits, several generations in the 19th century were cobblers. The property is one of four in Ridgefield that Cass Gilbert restored (the Keeler Tavern in the town center is another). National Register of Historic Places listings in Fairfield County, Connecticut

Location

57 Rockwell Rd.
Ridgefield, Fairfield County, Connecticut
41.27213, -73.49166

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORYINDUSTRY
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.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Benedict House and Shop

This page lists Benedict House and Shop. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Benedict House and Shop report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Keeler Tavern
Early Republic
0.3 mi
Ridgefield Center Historic District
Listed
0.5 mi
Lounsbury, Phineas Chapman, House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Remington, Frederic, House
Civil War
1.7 mi
Titicus Hill Historic District
Listed
1.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Skirmish at Ridgefield
1777Revolutionary War
0.8 mi
Battle of Ridgefield Connecticut
1777Revolutionary War
0.9 mi
Battle of Ridgefield (Connecticut, 1777)
1777Revolutionary War
0.9 mi
Raid on Danbury and Battle of Ridgefield
1777Revolutionary War
1.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Benedict House and Shop listed on the National Register?

Benedict House and Shop was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1998.

What type of historic resource is Benedict House and Shop?

Benedict House and Shop is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Benedict House and Shop?

The period of significance for Benedict House and Shop is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Benedict House and Shop?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Benedict House and Shop will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Fairfield County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Fairfield County.

Explore FairfieldCounty ›

More historic places in Connecticut

Browse all historic places in Connecticut.

View Connecticuthistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Connecticut history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Connecticuthistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Benedict House and Shop will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report