South Norwalk, Connecticut

This article is about the SoNo neighborhood in Norwalk. For the SoNo district in Atlanta, see SoNo (Atlanta).

North Main Street, about 1922

South Norwalk (also known as SoNo) is a neighborhood in Norwalk, Connecticut. SoNo features a high density of bars and eateries and is the center of Norwalk's nightlife and restaurant culture. Also located in SoNo are the South Norwalk Metro-North Railroad station, the Maritime Aquarium (with IMAX theater), a post office, banks, and a cinema.

South Norwalk is also the home of a large annual Arts Celebration.

Location

Southern part of Connecticut, south of Norwalk, on the bank of the Norwalk River and Norwalk Harbor, which open up to the Long Island Sound. Roughly, South Norwalk is bounded by Main Street on the west, Water Street on the east, Ann Street on the north, and Haviland Street on the south. The main downtown area is Washington Street (between Main Street and Water Street). Google Maps view of South Norwalk

History

After the original settlement of Norwalk in 1649, additional settlements developed in the area, particularly one on the western side of the Norwalk Harbor and river. This settlement came to be known as "Old Well". In a 1738 deed, present-day Washington Street was referred to as the "high Way that Leads to ye Landing place ye Old Well. The actual well was east of present-day Water Street, about seventy-five feet south of Washington Street.

In 1870, Old Well was incorporated as the city of South Norwalk. In this period, South Norwalk was a manufacturing and commercial city with a relatively large Hungarian population. In 1913, South Norwalk combined with the community of Norwalk and the East Norwalk fire district into the present day City of Norwalk. The former city of South Norwalk became the new Norwalk’s Second Taxing District.

Jeremiah Donovan's saloon

Now named the Bulldog Bar & Grill, the former Jeremiah Donovan's pub has stood at the corner of Washington and Water streets since the late nineteenth century. Jeremiah Donovan a former Norwalk mayor and U.S. Congressman, owned the bar, which at some points had been a small grocery store.

For 28 years, Richie Ball sold it in 2006 to Ron and Dominique Rosa, two Greenwich, Connecticut restaurateurs. The Rosas removed about 80 percent of the roughly 200 photographs of boxers that had lined the walls in order to spread them around to two other bars they planned to open.

• 
  North Main Street, about 1922
• Church in South Norwalk, ca. 1910
  Church in South Norwalk, ca. 1910
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  Elmwood Avenue, looking west from High Street, 1915 postcard
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  Elmwood Avenue, 1912 postcard
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  South Main Street, 1887 postcard
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  The Grove, Roton Point, 1905 postcard
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  Railroad Place, 1909 postcard
• 
  Belle Island, 1907 postcard

External links

• Online Guide to Historic South Norwalk
• Culinary Menus - Historic SoNo
• South Norwalk in 1911 Encyclopedia
• Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk
• SoNo Switch Tower Museum
• South Norwalk Branch Library
• SoNo Arts Celebration website
• CNN Travel feature: "Say yes to SoNo"
• See it on Stickymap

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