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    Bridgeport: 1900-1960
    Bridgeport: 1900-1960
    Bridgeport: 1900-1960
    Ebook197 pages59 minutes

    Bridgeport: 1900-1960

    By Andrew Pehanick

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    About this ebook

    Bridgeport: 1900-1960 presents a fascinating look into the history of Bridgeport through vintage postcards from the city’s formative years. These vintage postcards depict the change and expansion in Bridgeport during the 20th century, from the growth of the University of Bridgeport from a small junior college into a major university to the changes in transportation from the horse and buggy to early automobiles and trolley cars. Bridgeport’s waterfront played an important role in the development of the city, drawing visitors and wealthy residents who built homes along the shore. Following the two world wars, the city saw a large population increase, and a building boom soon followed. Factories and homes were built, retail stores moved in, and recreational options increased to serve the needs of the thousands of people who came to Bridgeport seeking employment.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateMar 16, 2009
    ISBN9781439621530
    Bridgeport: 1900-1960
    Author

    Andrew Pehanick

    Bridgeport native Andrew Pehanick has been collecting postcards of the city for almost thirty years. He has selected the images in Bridgeport from the nearly three thousand postcards in his collection.

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      Book preview

      Bridgeport - Andrew Pehanick

      (1921–1997).

      INTRODUCTION

      The reason for a second postcard history book on the city of Bridgeport is to present additional views previously omitted, owing to space limitations. There are two postcards that are included in both books for a reason. I wanted to clarify the information previously given, and also, these cards fit right in with this book. Once again, all the images contained in this work are postcards, and they are all from my collection.

      The University of Bridgeport was chosen for the first chapter because of my interest in the many grand old mansions that were built in the south end of Bridgeport bordering Seaside Park. The next chapter illustrates the changes that took place along Main Street downtown over the years. The chapter on transportation was fun to work on and also reflects my interest in old cars and aircraft as well. A chapter on Bridgeport harbor must be included because of the important role the harbor has played in the development of the city. The advertising postcards are very imaginative, and the result was a very diverse chapter. Mechanical cards really have to be opened up to be appreciated, so the chapter does not really do them justice. However, the multiple-view postcards have a lot of information that is shown on a single card. My interest in the mansions that once graced the city of Bridgeport is shown once more with the chapter on notable residences. The chapter on restaurants and recreation was my favorite chapter to work on because it gave me an excuse to dine at some nice restaurants in the name of research. In the last chapter, I was able to include postcards that did not fit in anywhere else but still made an interesting chapter, since bird’s-eye views do show a lot of detail.

      I hope that you enjoy Bridgeport: 1900–1960 as much as the first Bridgeport postcard book.

      A postcard looking south on Water Street from Fairfield Avenue shows how this area looked in the 1940s. Nathan Schwartz and Son occupied the building with the clock tower between the railroad tracks and Water Street. Schwartz was also the publisher of this postcard. Water Street has since been widened, and there are no longer any buildings between the street and the railroad tracks.

      This postcard was a gift from the author’s father of St. John the Baptist Greek Rite Catholic Church when it was located at 717 Arctic Street. The beautiful floor-to-ceiling iconostasis or icon screen is evident in the richly detailed interior of the church. This postcard marked the occasion of the rededication of the church on October 13, 1957. The church congregation, now located in Trumbull, has recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.

      One

      THE UNIVERSITY OF BRIDGEPORT

      The University of Bridgeport was founded in 1927 as the Junior College of Connecticut. The first home of the new college was a mansion located at 1001 Fairfield Avenue. In 1940, P. T. Barnum’s former estate Marina was purchased, which gave the college room to expand. The tack-up pennant shown here was mailed in 1952.

      Marina was the name P. T. Barnum gave to his fourth and final Bridgeport home. Built in 1889 for his second wife, Nancy, Barnum died here in his bedroom two years later. Marina was occupied afterward by his son-in-law Wilson Marshall. Although purchased by the university in 1940, it was first rented out to the Red Cross during World War II.

      A view of Marina Park is seen in the foreground of this 1950s-era postcard. In the center is the Marina mansion, which is mostly hidden by trees. Barnum gave Marina Park to the city with the stipulation that no buildings could ever be built on the land that would block the view of Seaside Park from the mansion.

      In 1947, the Junior College of Connecticut became the University of Bridgeport. In 1949, the Fairfield Avenue campus was sold, and the consolidation and move to the seaside campus was completed. Shown here is a postcard view of Marina Park and Seaside Park framed by the ornate entrance gate to the Marina estate.

      The ivy-covered walls of Marina and the entrance gate to the estate are highlighted in this postcard view. In 1946, Marina was used as a residence hall and was later used primarily as a dining hall. Sadly, this 17-bedroom mansion with nine baths was torn down in 1961, and a new dining hall also named Marina was built in its place.

      A beautiful view of Seaside Park and Long Island Sound is seen here from an upstairs window of the Marina mansion. P. T. Barnum was instrumental in the creation of Seaside Park and enjoyed this same view many years earlier.

      A couple of students take a break and relax inside the newly completed Marina dining hall. Seen through the lower window on the right are brick pillars with a wrought-iron archway above them. These pillars are all that remain of Barnum’s Marina estate.

      Shown here is the new Marina dining hall built on the site of the original Barnum mansion in 1961. This was built as a large wing added to an existing building constructed earlier

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