The Downtown Norwich Historic District is a historic district

Historic district (United States)

In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...

 representing the core of the downtown area of the city of Norwich

Norwich, Connecticut

Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...

, Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1985. It includes 115 contributing building

Contributing property

In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...

s and one other contributing structure over a 64 acres (25.9 ha) area.

Several buildings in the historic district are also individually listed on the National Register, including the Norwich Town Hall

Norwich Town Hall

Norwich Town Hall is a historic town hall at Union Street and Broadway in Norwich, Connecticut. The building was built in 1870 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1983. The building is part of the Downtown Norwich Historic District....

, the Telephone Exchange Building

Telephone Exchange Building (Norwich, Connecticut)

Telephone Exchange Building is a historic building at 23 Union Street in Norwich, Connecticut. The building was built in 1906 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 28, 1983. The building is part of the Downtown Norwich Historic District....

 and the Carroll Building

Carroll Building (Norwich, Connecticut)

The Carroll Building in Norwich, Connecticut, also known as the Flat Iron Building, was built in 1887. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It is included in the Downtown Norwich Historic District, which is also listed on the NRHP...

.

Norwich's downtown grew up near the confluence of the Shetucket

Shetucket River

The Shetucket River is a tributary of the Thames River, long, in eastern Connecticut in the United States.It is formed at Willimantic by the junction of the Willimantic and Natchaug rivers. It flows southeast and south...

, Yantic

Yantic River

The Yantic River forms at the confluence of the Deep River, Sherman Brook, and Exeter Brook about east of Colchester, Connecticut. It runs for and flows into the Shetucket River in Norwich, forming the Thames River...

, and Thames River

Thames River (Connecticut)

The Thames River is a short river and tidal estuary in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It flows south for through eastern Connecticut from the junction of the Yantic and Shetucket rivers at Norwich, to New London and Groton, which flank its mouth at the Long Island Sound.Differing from its...

s and the city's harbor

Harbor

A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...

, which was once a major center for trade and commerce. The area includes many intact 18th-century buildings centered around the now-picturesque harbor.

See also

• Neighborhoods of Norwich, Connecticut
  Neighborhoods of Norwich, Connecticut
  Several neighborhoods of Norwich, Connecticut maintain independent identities and are recognized by official signs marking their boundaries. The following is a list of neighborhoods in Norwich.-Bean Hill:...
  
  
• National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut