New London — The state next month will consider the addition of the Hodges Square area, including Riverside Park, for designation on the National Register of Historic Places.

The effort to recognize the historical significance of the roughly 1.5-square-mile area was in part inspired by past work of New London Landmarks and the Hodges Square Village Association.

New London Landmarks several years back had obtained a state grant to develop a master plan for the area, which was essentially cut off from the rest of the city when the Gold Star Memorial Bridge was completed, according to New London Landmarks Executive Director Constance Kristofik.

Hodges Square Village Association Co-Chairman Forrest Sklar said his group has worked over the past several years to help beautify the area, installing flower planting, bike racks and benches.

The group also helped open a small park and last year reinstalled a 108-year-old monument that was removed in the early 1970s.

Work to research the area for consideration for the National Register of Historic Places was grant funded.

With federal historic preservation funds in hand, the State Historic Preservation Office reached out to shoreline communities to gauge interest in documenting historical resources, according to Jenny Scofield, the state and national register coordinator for the State Historic Preservation Office, part of the Department of Economic and Community Development.

The cultural resources firm R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates Inc. was hired to research and complete nomination forms for Hodges Square. The firm also is researching the historical significance of Ocean Beach Park and Sound View in Old Lyme.

The application for the listing describes Hodges Square Village as “a vibrant historic neighborhood in New London that reflects the city’s residential expansion as the local economy transitioned from whaling to manufacturing during the late nineteenth century.”

“The neighborhood retains an impressive collection of late nineteenth through early twentieth century residential architecture, anchored by Riverside Park, which was established for public respite in 1893,” the application reads.

“Hodges Square is significant for its associations with the development of New London at the turn of the twentieth century and as a streetcar suburb with well-preserved physical landscape that is expressive of the industrious population,” it says.

While it is an honorary designation to recognize places of historic significance, listing on the national register provides a method for understanding why specific properties are important and how these historic places contribute to our cultural identity, Scofield said.

She said the designation also is a planning tool and “promotes appreciation for and stewardship of historic properties.”

A listing additionally provides access to historic preservation funding incentives, such as the Historic Homes Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program.

Kristofik said the tax credit program could help spur needed economic development in the area by providing up to 25 percent in construction costs for residences and businesses.

Sklar said his group is looking to perform more vigorous work that includes better pedestrian walkways, more businesses and better upkeep of existing buildings.

Sklar is a co-owner of Copy Cats in Hodges Square.

Officials from the State Historic Preservation Office will be on hand at the Public Library of New London at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to explain the nomination process.

Members of the State Historic Preservation Board — a mix of professional archeologists, architects, historians and landscape architects — will consider the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places during its meeting on Sept. 14.

In Connecticut, once a national register nomination is approved, the site automatically is listed on the state register.

Kristofik said a listing on the national register would make Hodges Square the 13th historic district in the city.

g.smith@theday.com