National Register of Historic Places

Putnam Hill Historic District

Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Listed
August 23, 1979
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
79002657

About this property

The Putnam Hill Historic District encompasses a former town center of Greenwich, Connecticut. Located on U.S. Route 1 between Milbank Avenue and Old Church Road, the district includes the churches of two historic congregations, a former tavern, and a collection of fine mid-Victorian residential architecture. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Greenwich's Putnam Hill area became a secondary center to the town (after Old Greenwich) at least as early as 1702, when the Second Congregational Church was located there. It was also home to Greenwich's town hall between 1825 and 1874, which was located where the town's Civil War memorial now stands. During the American Revolutionary War it was the scene of an escape of Continental Army General Israel Putnam from surrounding British forces by riding his horse down the steep hill from the Putnam Cottage, a feat that gave the area its present name. The Putnam Cottage, formerly Knapp's Tavern, was built about 1700, and is now a museum. In the years after the American Civil War, the area developed as a fashionable residential area, with several fine period residences surviving, including the Chateauesque Tomes-Higgins House, which was designed by architect Calvert Vaux. It was also where Boss Tweed had his country estate. The district is basically linear in extent, running from Milbank Avenue in the west to Old Church Road in the east. The district has 21 contributing buildings, most of which are residential. They include two churches: the Second Congregational Church and Christ Episcopal Church. Other features of the district are two small parks, a stone marker placed by the DAR commemorating Putnam's ride, the imposing bluestone wall built by Tweed, and the gateway to the former Jeremiah Milbank estate. National Register of Historic Places listings in Greenwich, Connecticut

Location

Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut
41.03686, -73.62002

Categories

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREARCHITECTURE
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
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
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Nearby Historic Sites

Knapp Tavern
Early Republic
0.1 mi
Fourth Ward Historic District
Civil War
0.4 mi
Methodist Episcopal Church
Industrial
0.4 mi
Greenwich YMCA
Industrial
0.4 mi
Little Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Industrial
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Putnam Hill Historic District listed on the National Register?

Putnam Hill Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 23, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Putnam Hill Historic District?

Putnam Hill Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Putnam Hill Historic District?

The period of significance for Putnam Hill Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Putnam Hill Historic District?

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