Middletown Alms House

The Middletown Alms House, located at 53 Warwick Street in Middletown, Connecticut, is a historic building constructed between 1813 and 1814. It is the oldest surviving structure in Connecticut specifically built to house the poor and one of the oldest in the United States. Originally serving as a poorhouse until 1853, the building later housed various businesses, including a hardware company and a firearms manufacturer. The three-and-a-half-story Federal-style brick building features a distinctive architectural design and is set on a 1.3-acre lot, surrounded by late-19th-century houses and shaded by a large oak tree. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, making it a notable site for both tourists and researchers interested in American social history and architecture.