Historic House Surveys

Historic House Surveys are an important way to promote historic preservation, through scholarship and education. Connecticut’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) provides grants for the purpose of conducting Historic Resource Inventories, also known as historic house surveys. The Wilton Historical Society has twice applied for grants in order to provide these valuable tools to the town. Surveys were conducted by qualified architectural historians, who used a combination of research and field work, as they took documentary photos and conducted a “windshield survey”. The surveys may be accessed below, both Phase I/1989 and Phase II/2018.

The surveys each begin with a history of Wilton, and Phase II has subsections on Minority and Women’s history in the town.

Use the indexes below to find the address you are seeking. Note which phase of the survey contains that address.

Index in order of Address

Index in order of Date

Index in order of Style

Index in order of Phase I or II

Phase IPhase II

About the surveys:
A substantial Historic Resource Inventory of Wilton of approximately 319 structures was initially conducted in 1989 (Phase I) under the Connecticut Historical Commission (now SHPO, part of the Department of Economic and Community Development) with the sponsorship of the Wilton Historical Society. The 2018 grant allowed the Society to conduct Phase 2, a survey that focused primarily on structures in Wilton built from 1920-1940, which added 160 structures. Together, these inventories identify most of the significant 20th-century Wilton homes more than approximately 75 years old.

Criteria for inclusion in a historic resource inventory survey:

Those selected to be included in the survey should meet at least one of the following criteria:
* have maintained a high degree of design integrity;
* are of important historical significance;
* are examples of a rare, unusual, or an infrequently found structural type or style;
* are of architectural significance.

The purpose and value of the historic resources survey is the following:
• provides the documentation necessary for evaluation of structures, sites, and districts that may meet the criteria for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and/or be considered for inclusion in a local Historic Property or Historic District study;
• the database provided by the survey will enable local officials and boards to better plan for the preservation of the resources under their jurisdiction by placing each structure in its historic and architectural context resulting in greater understanding and appreciation;
• findings of the survey will be of interest to individual property owners by placing buildings in their historical and architectural context and identifying their significant features which could slow the loss of valuable buildings.