Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

The Norwalk River Railroad Bridge (also known as the Walk Bridge) is a swing bridge built in 1896 for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. It currently carries Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad trains over the Norwalk River. The current swing bridge is located at the same site where, in 1853, a train from New York City plummeted into the river while the previous swing bridge was open, resulting in dozens of deaths. In 1896, the New Haven Railroad built the bridge and widened its route to four tracks, as it simultaneously built its South Norwalk Railroad Bridge over the intersection of Washington Street with North Main and South Main streets. The 562-foot (171 m) span, with a rotating swing span 202 feet (62 m) long was provided by the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. This type of swing bridge is one of just two on the Northeast Corridor. The swing span has a rim-bearing system of 96 rollers, allowing tall vessels to pass by. The span is one of only 13 of the company's bridges (and one of only two railroad bridges) that survive in the state as of August 2001. In 1907 the rail line was electrified with overhead catenary wires, which form a prominent feature of the bridge today. It is or was also known as Norwalk River Bridge. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.It is one of eight moveable bridges on the Amtrak route through Connecticut surveyed in one multiple property study in 1986. The eight bridges from west to east are: Mianus River Railroad Bridge at Cos Cob, built in 1904; the Norwalk River Railroad Bridge at Norwalk, 1896; Saugatuck River Railroad Bridge at Westport, 1905; Pequonnock River Railroad Bridge at Bridgeport, 1902; Housatonic River Railroad Bridge, at Devon, 1905; Connecticut River Railroad Bridge, Old Saybrook-Old Lyme, 1907; Niantic River Bridge, East Lyme-Waterford, 1907; and Thames River Bridge (Amtrak), Groton, built in 1919. As a single movable span with aging mechanical mechanisms, the Norwalk River Bridge represents a frequent point of failure for Amtrak and Metro-North service and has been targeted for replacement with dual movable spans. The final design approved for the new Walk Bridge calls for a dual-span vertical-lift bridge.

The Norwalk rail accident occurred on May 6, 1853, in Norwalk, Connecticut, and was the first major U.S. railroad bridge disaster; 48 were killed when a train travelling at 50 mph plunged into the Norwalk Harbor off of an open draw (swing) bridge.The accident occurred on the New York and New Haven Railroad where it crosses a small inlet of Long Island Sound via a swing bridge. The approach from New York is around a sharp curve, so there was a signal indicating if the bridge was passable by trains: a red ball mounted upon a tall pole. At 08:00 that morning, the Boston express left New York with 200 passengers driven by a substitute driver for whom this was the third transit of the route. The train consisted of two baggage and five passenger cars. On approaching the bridge, the driver neglected to check the signal and only became aware that the bridge was open when within 400 feet (120 m) of it. The bridge had been opened for the passage of the steamship Pacific, which had just passed through. The driver applied the brakes and reversed the engine, but was unable to stop in time. He and the fireman leapt clear before the bridge and escaped serious injury. The engine itself flew across the 60-foot (18 m) gap, striking the opposite abutment some 8 feet (2.4 m) below the level of the track and sinking into 12 feet (3.7 m) of water. The baggage cars came to rest atop the locomotive; the front of the first passenger car was crushed against the baggage cars and then submerged as the second passenger car came to rest on top of it. The third passenger car broke in two; the front half hanging down over the edge of the abutment; the rear remaining on the track. Most of the 48 dead and 30 injured were in the first passenger car. A further eight people were reported missing. Many doctors were travelling on the train, returning from the Sixth Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association in New York; seven of them were killed. Amongst the unhurt was Dr. Gurdon Wadsworth Russell, who wrote an account of the accident for the Hartford Courant in which he says that the dead "presented all the symptoms of asphyxia from drowning, and were probably drowned at once, being confined and pressed by broken cars. Oh, what a melancholy scene that!" As a result of the public panic and indignation caused by the accident, the Connecticut Legislature imposed a law requiring every train in the state to come to a dead halt before crossing any opening bridge. The engineer was charged with gross negligence and held primarily responsible for the disaster. A similar accident occurred eleven years later in Canada with even greater loss of life, the St-Hilaire train disaster.

The Norwalk River is a river in southwestern Connecticut, United States, approximately 21 miles (34 km) long. The word "Norwalk" comes from the Algonquian word "noyank" meaning "point of land".

SoNo Switch Tower is a preserved switch tower in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the United States. It was originally constructed in 1896 by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (The New Haven) to control switches at the junction between the New Haven Line and the Danbury Branch. The tower operated until 1986, when it was decommissioned by Metro-North Railroad following the centralizing of dispatching at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. It has been preserved as a museum.The museum includes a webcam allowing viewers to watch trains passing the tower on the Northeast Corridor; it has been noted for its popularity among railfans online.

The South Norwalk Railroad Bridge is an 1895 bridge in Norwalk, Connecticut. It carries the four sets of Metro-North railroad tracks across the busy intersection of Main Street and Washington Street in the South Norwalk section of the city. The bridge is adjacent to the South Norwalk Switch Tower Museum, which showcases the railroad switch tower where tracks were physically switched at the intersection of the Danbury Branch and the New Haven Line. The bridge is a contributing structure in the South Main and Washington Streets Historic District.

The Haviland and Elizabeth Streets–Hanford Place Historic District is an irregularly shaped 4.3-acre (1.7 ha) historic district in Norwalk, Connecticut that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. It encompasses a neighborhood that developed in the late 19th century following the introduction of railroad service to South Norwalk.

The SoNo Collection is an upscale shopping mall in the South Norwalk neighborhood of Norwalk, Connecticut. It was announced and originally developed by GGP Inc. (General Growth Properties) in 2017; it has been owned and managed by Brookfield Properties, a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, since its acquisition of GGP in 2018. The mall opened on October 11, 2019, and is the fourth mall in Fairfield County. The mall has adopted a phased opening process, including interactive art installations and community gathering spaces. It features southern Connecticut’s only Nordstrom and Connecticut's only Bloomingdale's as the anchor stores. It is located next to Interstate 95 and Route 7.

The US Post Office–South Norwalk Main, also known as Norwalk Main Post Office, is located at 16 Washington Street in Norwalk, Connecticut. It is a single story steel and concrete structure, faced in limestone. It was designed in 1936 and built in 1937, and is an example of what has been termed "starved classicism". Its lobby areas are decorated by murals by Kindred McLeary, commissioned by the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture.The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

The Norwalk Oyster Festival is an annual fair in the city of Norwalk, Connecticut, United States, held on the first weekend after Labor Day in Veterans Park, near Long Island Sound. Funds raised by the festival help the Norwalk Seaport Association maintain the Sheffield Island Lighthouse as well as develop science education classes. The festival is also used as a fundraiser by more than 20 other local non-profit organizations. The festival has been run by the Norwalk Seaport Association, a non profit organization, since its inception in 1978. Average annual attendance exceeds 90,000. Each year, the Oyster Festival contributes over $5 million to the local economy.It features various food, vendors, and entertainment, and celebrates the history of the oyster industry based in Norwalk. In the past, featured performers have included the Village People, Kansas, Charlie Daniels Band, Joe Walsh, Willie Nelson, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Tito Puente, Cheap Trick, Little Feat, The Monkees, Judy Collins, Up with People, and Little Richard.

SONO 50 (also known as the SoNo Corporate Center) is an office building in Norwalk, Connecticut in the modernist style. It is the tallest building in Norwalk, standing 14 stories and 150 feet (46 m) tall.

St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic church in South Norwalk, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Washington Village, is a 136 unit public housing complex in the South Norwalk neighborhood of Norwalk, Connecticut, USA, in the block bound by Water Street, Raymond Street, Day Street and Concord Street. It is the oldest public housing development in Connecticut, occupied since 1941. It was designed by Frank Bissell, an architect who had moved to Norwalk after having worked in the New York offices of Barber and Bissell.Due to flood damage from Hurricane Sandy and increased demand for housing in the South Norwalk area, a major three-part reconstruction plan for Washington Village broke ground in 2016. The plan has involved phasing in the site's original 136 public housing units, as well as an additional 137 mixed use and market rate units. The project is scheduled to complete in 2021. The South Norwalk area, locally referred to as SoNo, is seeing an increase in population in recent years, contrary to the state-wide population loss. In addition to it being one of the only walkable downtown neighborhoods in the City, the neighborhood features restaurants, a lively arts scene, the Maritime Aquarium, and seasonal celebrations. Nearby projects which have the same goal of improving access to housing include 19 Day Street, which features 20 affordable units in a new modular structure. Increased densification of the area may offer additional opportunities to increase the availability of urban open space on the nearby waterfront. The project is led by New England-based Harriman Group. The developer, Trinity Washington Village Limited Partnership, has been working alongside the Norwalk Housing Authority to make a smooth transition for public housing renters. Also involved in the project is the quasi-governmental Norwalk Redevelopment Agency. Funding for the Washington Village reconstruction was fulfilled in part by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s $30 million Choice Neighborhoods grant. This increase in local affordable housing was part of a greater initiative by now-former Governor of Connecticut, Dan Malloy during his time in office, when 22,000 affordable units were created. The state likewise contributed towards this project's funding through the Bonding Commission and Connecticut's Housing Finance Authority's Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. As of August 13, 2019, the Norwalk Housing Authority approved minor changes to the final part of the project, which has been in accordance with the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency. Additionally, urban densification efforts include the recent adjustment of zoning laws for parking by the City of Norwalk. The tightening of parking availability contrasts widespread availability in neighboring suburban areas.