Clay Hill Historic District
The Clay Hill Historic District in Hartford, Connecticut is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and expanded in 1984. Northwest of Downtown Hartford, the district is roughly bounded by Main, Mather, Garden, and Walnut Streets. The district contains examples of Queen Anne, Italianiate and Neoclassical Revival architecture. History Clay Arsenal is one of Hartford's oldest neighborhoods, developed in the middle and late 19th century. It was mainly farmland prior to 1847, when the Hartford-Springfield Railroad, which now forms the neighborhood's eastern border, was constructed. At one time, Windsor and Main streets intersected just north of Downtown. When the streets were reconfigured, several buildings and a public green were lost. The section west of Main Street lies on a gentle rise above Downtown and is known as Clay Hill, so named for the type of soil there. The area east of Main Street has been known since 1812 as the Arsenal District, when a State Arsenal was constructed on the corner of North Main and Pavilion streets. The arsenal was demolished in 1909. The mid-19th century development of the Clay Hill area from rural to urban conditions was caused by the strong