National Register of Historic Places

Ely, Rev. John, House

Bethel, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Listed
April 24, 2001
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
01000400

About this property

The Rev. John Ely House is a historic house at 54 Milwaukee Avenue in Bethel, Connecticut. Built in 1792, it is well-preserved example of period domestic architecture, and is further notable for a procession of owners important in the community's history. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The Ely House is located east of the village center of Bethel, at the northeast corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Kayview Avenue. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a large central chimney, a side-gable roof, and a stone foundation. Its main entrance is centered on the front facade, and is sheltered by a Federal-style portico supported by slender columns, with a decorated soffit. The interior follows a typical center chimney plan, with parlors on either side of the chimney, a narrow entry vestibule with winding staircase in front, and the original kitchen space behind. Two small chambers once occupied the rear corners of the building; these have been integrated into other rooms. The house has retained significant amounts of original 18th-century woodwork, including wide board floors on the second floor, raised panel doors on the first floor, and board-and-batten doors on the second. The entry vestibule and staircase retain most of their original carved woodwork. The house was built c. 1792, and is a well-preserved local survivor of the period. It is also noted for a succession of residents who played significant roles in the growth of Bethel during the 19th century, including two ministers and three businessmen, the latter including Oliver Shepard, a figure instrumental in the separation of Bethel as a separate town in 1855. Reverend John Ely, for whom the house was built, was Bethel parish's second settled minister, at a time when it was still part of Danbury. The barn on the property has been modernized and utilized as a studio for performing arts and photography/videography. National Register of Historic Places listings in Fairfield County, Connecticut Media related to Rev. John Ely House at Wikimedia Commons

Location

54 Milwaukee Ave.
Bethel, Fairfield County, Connecticut
41.37497, -73.40319

Categories

ARCHITECTUREEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT
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

Greenwood Avenue Historic District
Listed
0.6 mi
Seelye, Seth, House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Ives, Charles, House
Industrial
2.2 mi
Union Station
Industrial
2.2 mi
Rider, John, House
Industrial
2.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Tryon's Raid on Danbury
1777Revolutionary War
3 mi
Raid on Danbury
1777Revolutionary War
3 mi
Danbury Raid Apr 26 1777
1777Revolutionary War
3 mi
Tryon's Connecticut Raids 1777 — Newtown
1777Revolutionary War
3.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ely, Rev. John, House listed on the National Register?

Ely, Rev. John, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 2001.

What type of historic resource is Ely, Rev. John, House?

Ely, Rev. John, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ely, Rev. John, House?

The period of significance for Ely, Rev. John, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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