DERBY — The Sterling Opera House, the Derby Public Library and the Birmingham Green Historic District are places that helped shape Derby’s history.
To commemorate Derby’s 350th birthday in 2025, the city has begun installing signage throughout the downtown area to pay homage to those three places — all of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The plan is to add more signs to locations that are important to Derby’s history.
“The area was once known as the Borough of Birmingham (downtown Derby) and was the retail center of the town and Valley,” said Jack Walsh, a member of the Historic Signage Committee. “The plaques are being placed on sites of historic significance for the people, places and events that have built Derby’s history.”
Photo By Anthony Mullin
Alderman Gino DiGiovanni installs a sign.
The old Birmingham borough of Derby came about when industrialists Sheldon Smith and Anson Phelps bought land on the west side of the Naugatuck River to create an industrial borough in the larger Derby community. Three principal thoroughfares radiating off Main Street were named for Smith’s daughters, Elizabeth, Minerva, and Caroline, and a fourth was named after Phelps’ wife, Olivia. The rectangle of land now known as the Derby Green was set aside at that time as a public common to be used by all residents of the thriving industrial community, according to Walsh.
Walsh said the downtown area was once the retail hub of the Valley but slowly declined after World War II.
Fast forward to today, however, when Walsh said downtown’s landscape is undergoing a transformation with the state’s Main Street/Route 34 widening project and new mix of retail/housing set to take shape with the Trolley Pointe development at 90 Main St.
Walsh said the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen approved the historic signage project earlier this year. So far, three signs have been installed courtesy of Alderman Gino DiGiovanni who owns his own construction business. The three bronze plaques, bearing the city’s seal, include a summary of each site’s historical significance.
“Over the next two years, additional plaques will be installed periodically throughout the area culminating with the 350th birthday on May 13, 2025,” Walsh said. “Many of the sites belong to the city, but the project will also be open to developers and other property owners. This is especially important as the new developments taking place are replacing buildings that dated back to the middle of the 19th century. The plaques will tell the history of what was once so central to life in Derby.”
DiGiovanni, who also serves on the committee, said he’s happy to be helping out.
“This is to get people excited about the city’s 350th birthday and to gear them up for it,” he said.
Walsh said the committee has developed a preliminary interactive Google map showing potential sites to be included. The map can be viewed online at by clicking this link.
“The map is a work in progress and other sites will be included,” Walsh said. “Developers and property owners will be asked to fund their own plaques and the committee will work with them on the historic language.”
Walsh said the first three signs kicking off the historic project cost the city about $2,900. Those are for plaques on city-owned properties.
“This is a wonderful kick off to our Celebrate Derby 350, marking Derby’s celebration of its 350th anniversary,” Mayor Rich Dziekan said in a message to The Valley Indy. “And it’s only the beginning. More historic plaques will be forthcoming. Thanks to Jack Walsh and his committee for their efforts to ensure Derby’s history is preserved as part of our celebration.”
I Anyone interested in learning more about the project can email Walsh at [email protected]
Photo by Anthony Mullin
A sign.
