Fairfield County Courthouse (Bridgeport, Connecticut)

The Fairfield County Courthouse, also known as the Court of Common Pleas, is located at 172 Golden Hill Street in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is also known as Geographical Area (GA) Courthouse No. 2 at Bridgeport.It is a Richardsonian Romanesque brick building built in 1888. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.HistoryIn 1886, when Bridgeport City Hall proved insufficient for both the growing needs of Bridgeport and Fairfield County, the county decided to build a new courthouse. Norwalk bid for the new courthouse to be moved there, offering $100,000 towards construction, but the Bridgeport group, including P.T. Barnum, offered $150,000. The cornerstone was laid on June 24, 1887 near the corner of Golden Hill and Main Streets and the Richardsonian Romanesque building, designed by Warren R. Briggs, was completed and opened in 1888. It still functions as a courthouse where all but the most serious criminal cases are heard.