(top) “Above the fireplace in the main dining room is a plaque testifying to the visit by George Washington in 1789.”
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Seating Capacity: 100 (dining room)
Interior Designer: Marcel Bretos
Photographer: Mark Ross
“The building which houses Sherman’s Taverne by the Green has had a long and varied history beginning as the home of Roger Sherman, New Haven’s first mayor. At the turn of the century, it was converted for use as a men’s club, and a reception hall was added at that time which is now the main dining room. Before its current restoration, it was used as a cabaret, and some of the additions made then, such as the brick bar, were retained. Otherwise, according to the designer, it was a matter of ‘reclamation, recoloring and organization clarification of existing space.’
The Taverne is divided into three main areas: the dining room to the front, the kitchen in the rear, and the bar in between. A large brass chandelier lights the bar; wall sconces and hanging lanterns provide supplemental lighting in the surrounding area. Crystal chandeliers are used in the dining room. Except in the kitchen, there are no fluorescents.
Heavily varnished oak paneling in the dining room was stripped and refinished and brightened with panels of mirror. The marble columns, pilasters and fireplace surround were restored. The existing stained glass transitions over the windows, doors and fireplace were decorative assets and needed only to be cleaned and backlit.”
“The bar area and the dining room are next to one another and are of approximately equal size. The furnishings in each were selected to conform to the general character of the spaces. A large brass chandelier hangs over the brick bar. The paneling and stained glass in the dining room were existing and restored to their original condition.”
Roger Sherman house 