Timeline

Every building known to have stood in each year, from four records. Today's buildings come from the city assessor's year built; old houses are often given a round year (1900, 1920), so a year ending in 0 is an estimate. A building moves earlier when the papers print its address before that year, or when an earlier Sanborn fire-insurance atlas draws it (South Norwalk 1884-1912, Norwalk 1891-1912; about two thirds of the sheets are placed so far). Gone buildings are those drawn on the atlases that a later atlas no longer draws (shown up to the last atlas that draws them), or with nothing on their spot in the city's 2016 building outlines, and addresses printed in the papers where no building of that age stands today (shown from the first year printed). Where the papers report a building burned or torn down, it ends that year; otherwise a building gone after 1912 stays to the end. Houses lost before 1884 and never printed with a number are not known, so the early years show mostly the survivors. The first settlers' home lots are traced from Edwin Hall's 1847 plan, which shows the first settlers' home lots (with the 1847 occupants added in parentheses); the map draws them from 1651 to 1847. Red dots are addresses printed in the papers that year under today's numbering.