New Bedford Historic District
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New Bedford Historic District
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View along North Water Street, 2008
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| Location | New Bedford, Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates | 41°38′7″N 70°55′27″W / 41.63528°N 70.92417°WCoordinates: 41°38′7″N 70°55′27″W / 41.63528°N 70.92417°W |
| Area | 19.6 acres (7.9 ha) |
| Built | 1790 |
| Architect | Russell Warren, Robert Mills, others |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Federal |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000773 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1966 |
| Designated NHLD | November 13, 1966 |
The New Bedford Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District in New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, west of the community's waterfront. During the 19th century, when the city was the center of the American whaling industry, this was its downtown. After its decline in the early and mid-20th century, through the efforts of local activist groups the district has since been preserved and restored to appear much as it was during that period.
Most of its buildings were erected between 1790 and 1855 by Russell Warren and other builders working in the Federal and Greek Revival architectural styles. Many of them reflect the legacy of whaling in the city's development. The district was designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL) and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Later it was recognized as a local historic district and protected by local zoning. One building within it, the U.S. Customhouse, is the oldest such facility currently in use and has been independently recognized as an NHL. Since 1996 the district has also been a part of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.
The district is bounded by Front Street on the east, Elm Street on the north, Acushnet Avenue and the Central New Bedford Historic District on the west, and Commercial Street on the south. This area includes 11 city blocks and part of a twelfth. On these 19.6 acres (7.9 ha) are 20 buildings, mostly historic but with some modern intrusions, mainly parking lots, a gas station and newer additions to the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Cobblestone paving and gas lamps have been added since the historic district was designated, in order to recreate the neighborhood's 19th-century appearance. The majority of the buildings are commercial in design and use, but there are some houses, and some mixed-use structures.
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