Author: Arthur Mullen

Roger Sherman, also of Connecticut, was known to have given one of the shortest speeches in history at a bridge dedication ceremony when he said, "I think it will hold up all right," while testing the strength of the bridge with one foot.

L’Occitane en Provence, at Warner Hall

Arthur MullenLeave a comment

"International retailer L’Occitane en Provence opened its newest boutique on Chapel Street just in time for the holiday shopping rush. The company signed a lease with Yale University Properties in early October and has spent the last several weeks refurbishing the building, which now features a wired glass and metal structure that is supposed to mimic a traditional greenhouse, according to a L’Occitane press release. Since its establishment in 1996 as a branch of the Office of New Haven and State Affairs, University Properties has sought to reinvigorate New Haven’s downtown shopping district by bringing in new restaurants and retailers to Broadway and Chapel streets."

The Los Angeles Brewing Company — Brewery Talk Nos. 1 – 20, 1903

Arthur MullenLeave a comment

"Here is the brewery that produces the finest beer on the Western Coast — Los Angeles beer. Its beginning dates back to August of 1897, when four energetic business men formed the Los Angeles Brewing Co. A desirable site was secured, the necessary buildings erected, the apparatus installed, and in May of 1898 the first drop of Los Angeles beer was put upon the market." -The Los Angeles Brewing Company, East Main Street, Los Angeles, California, 1903

Cut of $5,500 Tablet Given S. Z. Poli on the Occasion of His 25th Anniversary.

Arthur MullenLeave a comment

"The Poli lobby and foyer will be opened to the public Sunday afternoon from 12 o'clock, closing at midnight. The occasion will be to give an opportunity to view the magnificent memorial tablet that was presented to S. Z. Poli by the citizens of New Haven, and others representing cities where he maintains playhouses, on the occasion of his twenty-fifth theatrical anniversary."

A little less luxury, by Deborah Hornblow

Arthur MullenLeave a comment

"As for the future of fine dining, the veteran McKenzie takes the long view. 'It's just like somebody that always has a blue blazer in their wardrobe,' she says. 'They always have it and it's always going to be there. Fine dining will always be there.' She also summons up something James Beard once told her. 'He said, 'You can't hide a good restaurant, no matter what the economy, no matter what the weather,' and I've never forgotten it.'"

Rebuilt Brasserie Reopens, by Claudia Van Nes

Arthur MullenLeave a comment

"The Union League Cafe, a French brasserie in New Haven, has recovered from an unusual catastrophe to befall a restaurant and has reopened with a new kitchen and a refurbished dining room. The restaurant was the victim last Nov. 1 of a collapse of the roof of the historic Hyperion Theater, which crashed down on the back of the cafe, situated in the adjacent Roger Sherman building."

On the Road to Happily Ever After, by Linda Giuca

Arthur MullenLeave a comment

"Vuillermet married his wife, Robin, in 1990 with just five people in attendance. He bought an aquamarine ring, her birthstone, and proposed almost casually while Robin was visiting him in France. 'Then I came back here and Robin's mother (the late restauranteur Jo Mackenzie) asked me to stay here and work for here,' Vuillermet recalled. 'We got married quickly because of the visa situation, so I got married for the green card.'"

The Last Picture Shows, by Allen M. Widem

Arthur MullenLeave a comment

"THE DECISION by Loews Theaters, New York, to shut down the College Theater in downtown New Haven for the umpteenth time while determining the movie theater's future, points up the markedly winnowing away of what was once a firmly entrenched element in Connecticut entertainment — downtown motion picture theaters. With the closing of the College — its beginnings, as the then Hyperion Theater, go back to the late 19th century — downtown New Haven has only one motion picture theater playing conventional Hollywood product."

Jacques Pépin covers food for the Games, by Linda Giuca

Arthur MullenLeave a comment

"French chef Jacques Pépin went to the site of the Winter Olympic games looking for a different kind of gold: champagne, eruvere and raclette."

Historical Renovation, by Kenneth Boroson Architects

Arthur MullenLeave a comment

"Located in the historic Sherman Building, built in 1860, this New Haven landmark required a substantial renovation to expand its facility. Second floor offices were converted into a dining area and a new commercial kitchen. The project also included the replacement of a historic grand mahogany staircase leading from the wood paneled main dining room to the new grand ballroom on the second floor. High level carpentry and finish work was required to integrate the redesigned staircase and new ballroom additions into the existing old world millwork."

ROGER SHERMAN TABLET.

Arthur MullenLeave a comment

"Upon the site of this building stood the home of Roger Sherman, and near here in 1793 he died, jurist - patriot - statesman, signer of the Bill of Rights, Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, first Mayor of New Haven, Treasurer of Yale College, and for twenty years a member of Congress -- Washington claimed his friendship and counsel, and was here his guest in 1789 -- to record his great service in the founding and early government of our country, this tablet is placed by the Connecticut society, Sons of the American Revolution, 1904."