Edgerton Park

The 22 acres making up Edgerton Park were given to the City of New Haven in 1965. Eli Whitney was the original owner of the property and it was later given to his niece Caroline Whitney. She lived on the estate in a grand Victorian house called "Ivy Nook."

In 1906, the property was sold to Frederick F. Brewster, a New Haven industrialist, who tore down "Ivy Nook" and replaced it with a Tudor style mansion named "Edgerton," for its location on the edge of town. The house and its grounds, designed by Robert Storer Stephenson, were completed in 1909 as a wedding present to Brewster's wife Margaret. The estate was
intended as a retreat from the industrial city. The grounds were re-designed in the style of 18th Century English landscape gardens, to reveal both natural and man-made vistas. In 1957 Brewster's will stipulated that the house be demolished and the grounds be given to the City of New Haven for a park after his wife's death.

Although the main house was destroyed, the original wall, greenhouses, carriage house, gatehouse, and bridge are still standing. Edgerton Park is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. As you walk through the park you will notice other remnants of the estate still in use.

Explore Related Categories