On Chapel Street, in New Haven, Connecticut, opposite the Old Campus: from the time of glaciation, cultivated by the Quinnipiac; in 1614, charted by a Dutch explorer; in 1638, colonized by the Puritans; throughout the American Revolution, home of the signer, Roger Sherman, his second wife Rebecca Prescott-Sherman, their fifteen children, and the family store; in 1860, industrialist Gaius Fenn Warner's Italianate villa, by Henry Austin; in 1880, Marshal Peter R. Carll's Opera House; in 1884, the Republican League; in 1887, the Hyperion; in 1903, the Union League addition, by Richard Williams; in 1926, the Roger Sherman Theater; beginning in 1976, a tradition of French fine dining, that continues today. While the Roger Sherman house is no longer standing, it holds up all right.
"Ground was broken for the new Vanderbilt dormitory early in June, and, since the first sod was turned, the obstacles in the way of the erection of the building have been speedily torn away and the foundations laid for the most expensive dormitory in the United States."
"[Roger] Sherman's parents were English people of the lower class and he can be said to have sprung from what is described as the common people. He had not the same confidence in the people that they reposed in him. He was an effective speaker whose power of debate lay in his never taking the floor unless he had something new to offer. Justice was his great forte and he was a lover of the truth."
"CHAPEL STREET in New Haven is at the center of a booming downtown. Some people say that the economic vibrancy is being driven by nearby Yale University, but city officials say that energy is coming from other sources, such as new offices and apartments."
"Piano rags filled the air as waiters and waitresses bedecked in Gay Nineties clothing served the libations. A woman in a bear costume mingled with the crowd; a mime 'sang' songs of the era. Outside, a horse hitched to a carriage whinnied in the crisp, winter night. And who was in the carriage, trotting dignitaries up and down the street? Who else but Joel Schiavone, New Haven's flashiest developer, a flamboyant 46-year-old who believes -- and proves -- that showmanship is as much an ingredient of success as business sense."
"Yesterday a very important purchase of property was made, being the purchase of the club house of the Republican league by its members, the consideration being $25,000... Dr. Winchell will convey to the club a clean title of the property -- which was formerly occupied as a family residence by Marshal Carll, and previous to that by the late Gaius F. Warner, and which is situated in front of the Hyperion Theater."
"Another dignified, well-made building standing empty. Its design distinguished by a clean-cut layering of brick planes, this is the sort of undemonstrative but cultivated architecture that gives urbanity to city streets. When it was new it enhanced the whole block; it might still do so if it were cleaned up. Originally there was a grass… Continue reading Union League Club, 1032 Chapel Street, 1902. Richard Williams.
"It is rumored that a syndicate composed of New Yorkers will in the near future erect on Chapel street, at the corner of Chapel and College street, directly opposite the Yale campus, a $3,000,000 ten story hotel. The matter is yet merely a rumor, and may prove as visionary as have some of the other… Continue reading Another Big Hotel Rumor
"For years, the prim, exclusive Union League was a mainstay of elite society in New Haven. It attracted men of wealth and prestige from the most proper New England stock. With changing values and declining fortunes, however, the league gradually became more of a memory than a social institution, and seven years ago, its gray… Continue reading Old New Haven Society Clubhouse to be Street People’s Center
"In New Haven in 1919, spring really did burst out all over in the most memorable and bloody town-and-gown riot of modern time. It lasted for three days and three nights, several innocent bystanders were killed, and several score were hospitalized. And, except for the casualties, everybody concerned had a marvelous time which is why… Continue reading “It Takes All Kinds of Freshmen,” by Ralph Mcallister Ingersoll
"Who owns downtown commercial properties in Connecticut's cities? This week, Business Weekly looks at a block in New Haven. The block, shown in the map, is bounded by Chapel, College, Crown and High streets. Information is from city records. -Image courtesy of the Hartford Courant, "Who Owns the Block?" by Diane Richards, May 18, 1987… Continue reading Who Owns the Block?