McLevy Hall

McLevy Hall is a historic municipal building at 202 State Street in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut. The building was built in 1854 to house both the City Hall and the Fairfield County Courthouse, and served as Bridgeport City Hall into the 1930s. It was renamed McLevy Hall after Bridgeport mayor Jasper McLevy in 1966.[2] The current city hall on Lyon Terrace was built in 1916,[3] however municipal offices continued to occupy McLevy Hall through the 1970s.[2] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 19, 1977.[1]

Bridgeport City Hall
McLevy Hall in Winter 2012
McLevy Hall is located in Connecticut
McLevy Hall
McLevy Hall is located in the United States
McLevy Hall
Location202 State Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Coordinates41°10′36″N 73°11′27″W
Area1.8 acres (0.73 ha)
Built1854 (1854)
ArchitectA. J. Davis; J. W. Northrop
Architectural styleClassical Revival, Greek Revival
Part ofBridgeport Downtown South Historic District (ID87001402)
NRHP reference No.77001387[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 19, 1977
Designated CPSeptember 3, 1987

City Hall and Courthouse

Locating the Fairfield County Courthouse in Bridgeport was the result of much debate. Fairfield, Connecticut had been the site of the first county seat and courthouse in Fairfield County but by the mid-19th century, not only was the old courthouse insufficient for the county's needs, but the growth of Bridgeport and Norwalk made them more logical choices for county seat and a new courthouse. Bridgeport's offer to pay for the building of a courthouse and jail decided the matter. Bridgeport City Hall was constructed in 1853-54 between State and Bank Streets and cost $75,000. Alexander Jackson Davis designed it in the Greek Revival style to resemble a temple. The building, opened in 1855, had a large ground floor for use as City Hall, two floors for county government and court use and an auditorium, Washington Hall, for public gatherings. In 1886, when Bridgeport City Hall proved insufficient for both the growing needs of city and county, the Fairfield County Courthouse was built nearby.[4]

Lincoln speech
Western view of Bridgeport City Hall, before 1905

On Saturday, March 10, 1860, Abraham Lincoln spoke in Washington Hall at Bridgeport City Hall. Not only was the largest room in the city packed, but a crowd formed outside as well. Lincoln received a standing ovation before taking the 9:07 p.m. train that night back to Manhattan.[5][6] A plaque marks the site where Lincoln spoke.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. August 5, 2010.
  2. Bruce Clouette (September 19, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form" (pdf). National Park Service. Retrieved July 28, 2010. and 4 accompanying photographs.
  3. "45 Lyon Tr (35/ 907/ 3/ / )". Tax Assessor, City of Bridgeport. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  4. "Fairfield County Courthouse at Bridgeport Golden Hill". State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  5. Burr, Raymond F., Abraham Lincoln: Western Star Over Connecticut, Lithographics Inc., Canton, Connecticut (no year given), pages 1 and 15; book contents reprinted by permission of the Lincoln Herald, (Harrogate, Tennessee) Summer, Fall and Winter, 1983 and Spring and Summer, 1984
  6. Holzer, Harold, Lincoln at Cooper Union, (Simon & Schuster: New York), 2004 Chapter 8: "Unable to Escape This Toil," p. 201 ISBN 0-7432-2466-3
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