National Register of Historic Places

Compo-Owenoke Historic District

Westport, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Listed
April 18, 1991
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
91000393

About this property

The Compo–Owenoke Historic District encompasses an early 20th-century summer resort beach community in Westport, Connecticut. Developed between 1910 and 1940, the Compo Beach area contains one of the largest assemblages of period resort architecture in Westport, and one of the best such collections in the region. The district, covering 154 acres (62 ha) south of Compo Road South, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Compo and Owenoke occupy the southern portion of a peninsula extending into Long Island Sound south of downtown Westport. It is bounded on the east by Compo Cove, and the west by Gray's Creek. The historic district covers most of the area south of Compo Road South, excluding mainly buildings constructed or significantly altered after 1940. The Compo area is located north of Compo Beach, and has a somewhat grid-like road layout with mostly small lot sizes. The Owenoke Point peninsula projects westward from Compo; part of it was originally an island joined to the mainland by landfill in the 1930s. Buildings in the district are mainly Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, or Craftsman/Bungalow in style. A few 19th-century farmhouses also remain in the district, a reminder of its agrarian past. Prior to its development as a summer resort community, Compo was a coastal agricultural area. In 1909, development began on the eastern third of the district, formerly the farm of David Bradley. Roads on the western side of the district were laid out in 1919, and Appletree Trail was laid through the center of the district in 1928. The beach area was developed with bathing facilities, dancing pavilions, and a marina, but deed restrictions on most properties precluded the construction of hotels. The area was popular with middle-class New Yorkers in the 1920s. Mill Cove Historic District, another NRHP-listed historic district of cottages nearby National Register of Historic Places listings in Fairfield County, Connecticut

Location

Westport, Fairfield County, Connecticut
41.10665, -73.35457

Categories

ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATIONARCHITECTURE
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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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
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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
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Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Mill Cove Historic District
Industrial
0.8 mi
Saugatuck River Railroad Bridge
Industrial
1.1 mi
Allen House, The
Industrial
1.3 mi
Saugatuck River Bridge
Industrial
1.3 mi
Peck Ledge Lighthouse
Industrial
2.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Ridgefield — Compo Hill Landing
1777Revolutionary War
2.6 mi
Burning of Norwalk (1779)
1779Revolutionary War
2.9 mi
Raid on Fairfield (1779)
1779Revolutionary War
5.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Compo-Owenoke Historic District listed on the National Register?

Compo-Owenoke Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 1991.

What type of historic resource is Compo-Owenoke Historic District?

Compo-Owenoke Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Compo-Owenoke Historic District?

The period of significance for Compo-Owenoke Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Compo-Owenoke Historic District?

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