The Greenwich Point Conservancy is pleased to announce that on July 12, 2021, the National Park Service listed the “Greenwich Point Historic District” on the National Register of Historic Places.
Greenwich Point Park joins six other sites in Greenwich that the National Register lists as “historic districts,” and 28 other individual sites that are listed on the National Register.
Greenwich Point Park is the first property in Greenwich to be added to the National Register since 2014, when the “River Road – Mead Avenue Historic District” was listed.
The Greenwich Point Conservancy, working with the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office, began the process of nominating Greenwich Point Park and its historic structures and resources in 2015, with the filing of a National Register of Historic Places Registration Form with Connecticut’s State Historic Preservation Review Board. The nomination incorporated research, photographs and other information regarding areas of historical significance at Greenwich Point Park, focusing on Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Archeology, and Recreation. The details of the research can be found on the website of the Greenwich Point Conservancy at www.greenwichpoint.org.
In 2015 Greenwich Point Park was listed on the State Register of Historic Places, and the nomination was thereafter
forwarded to the National Park Service for inclusion on the National Register.
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States federal government’s official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. Properties listed on the State or National Register of Historic Places may qualify for special grants and tax incentives, and can also benefit from more flexible building codes in recognition of a property’s historic value. For example, when the Greenwich Point Conservancy was restoring the c1887 “Old Barn” at Greenwich Point, because Greenwich Point had been included on the State Register of Historic Places, the Old Barn was eligible for and received certain exemptions from FEMA requirements to “lift” the building out of the flood zone (all of Greenwich Point is in the flood zone). Also, in connection with the restoration of the Old Barn, the Greenwich Point Conservancy was eligible to apply for, and received, a $500,000 grant from a federal fund created for the restoration of historic buildings that were damaged in Hurricane Sandy.
Chris Franco, President of the Greenwich Point Conservancy, stated, “Listing Greenwich Point on the National Register of Historic Places has been a goal of preservationists in Greenwich for a very long time, and many wonderful and dedicated people have contributed research, photographs and other historical information to this effort. We thank all of them, and we congratulate the people of Greenwich for this wonderful recognition of our beautiful and historic Greenwich Point. We also thank the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office for their significant role in achieving the National Register listing.”