Downtown New London Historic District

The Downtown New London Historic District, also known as the Waterfront Historic District, refers to 78acre with 223 contributing buildings along the waterfront of New London, Connecticut, an area roughly bounded by State Street (also referred to as "Captain's Walk"), to the northeast, Bank Street to the southeast, Tilley Street to the southwest, and Washington Street to the northwest. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1979, with 190 buildings and 60acre. The district was expanded in 1988 to include Huntington, Washington and Jay Streets, the southwest corner of Meridian Street and Governor Winthrop Boulevard, and along Bank Street to Spar Yard Street, which added 18acre and 33 buildings to the historic district.History and descriptionBank StreetRunning immediately along the Thames River is the area known as "The Bank", referring to the bank of the river. Once dominated by fishing wharves and tall ships, Bank Street is one of New London's oldest sections. After the burning of New London by the British under the command of Benedict Arnold in 1781, the waterfront was rebuilt and the roadway raised to accommodate additional development and larger ships. The bank is now home to a number of restaurants, cafes and boutiques, and is dotted with a handful of 18th-century structures, including:the Shaw Mansion, built in 1753, which served as Connecticut Navy Headquarters during the American Revolution, separately listed on the NRHP and within the district but not part of it;Bukeley House, built in 1796; the owner of this house served with John Paul Jones Bank Street also includes 19th-century buildings, including: