Bidding Underway For Development Of Historic Bridgeport Building

BRIDGEPORT, CT — The City of Bridgeport has opened bidding for the initial phase of a restoration project at McLevy Hall, a historic downtown building that once hosted Abraham Lincoln during his 1860 presidential campaign.

The project, partially funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office, includes repairs to the building’s roof and restoration of its copper trim and fascia. Built in 1854 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, McLevy Hall is considered a prominent piece of Bridgeport’s architectural and civic history.

Designs for the restoration were prepared by Debora Barros, a senior project manager at WJE Associates. Barros, a preservation specialist trained at the University of Brasília and Columbia University, has worked on notable landmarks including Carnegie Hall, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

City officials and Barros led a walkthrough of the site on July 1 for nearly a dozen contractors interested in submitting bids. The bidding period remains open through July 30. Project details are available on Bridgeport’s Open Gov bidding platform.

"McLevy Hall is one of Bridgeport’s many historic landmarks, and this restoration continues to set the tone for preserving our City’s cultural legacy," Mayor Joe Ganim said in a statement. "I’m grateful to WJE Associates and Debora Barros for being interested in restoring this landmark. Beautifying our City means more than adding public artwork to our landscapes—it also means upholding historic structures that add to Bridgeport’s identity."

Councilman Jorge Cruz, who represents the district that includes McLevy Hall, also attended the walkthrough and emphasized the building’s significance.

"This is our heritage," Cruz said. "It’s important that we take care of it. I am glad to see that the project is generating such interest; and I encourage local contractors to take a good look at the job."

McLevy Hall stands at the center of Bridgeport’s downtown green. It is perhaps best known for hosting an 1860 speech by Lincoln, described by contemporaries as a forceful address against slavery during the future president’s campaign tour through New England.