English Station

English Station, the vacant hulk of a building setback from Grand Avenue on an island between Wooster Square (the Newtownship?) and Fair Haven, once provided the City of New Haven with electricity. In the early 20th century, the former power plant was conveniently served by barge and rail to deliver the coal used to generate electricity. Since 1992, when English Station was completely deactivated, this artifact of New Haven's industrial heritage has sat contaminated without any clear plan for re-use.

Originally the site of the L.W. Sperry Lumber Company.

In 1890, the New Haven Electric Light Company purchased the site and constructed the first masonry power house along Grand Avenue.

1894 – N.H. Electric Company builds a one-story brick building on site for $7,000.

1903 – the newly formed United Illuminating Company constructs a one-story addition.

1910 -1912 – Palmer and Townsend design another addition, boiler house, and steam stacks for U.I.C.

1914 – H.R. Westcott designs a new brick power station on behalf of United Illuminating Co., at the cost of $90,000.

1916-1921 – Westcott and Mapes build additions, fireproof, and install plant equipment in new power station.

Sept. 13th, 1927 – Foundation laid for new electric power station, at the cost of $150,500.

1927-1937 – Construction continues on new English Station facility.

1940-1947 – Alterations made to power house.

1951 – Installation of corrugated asbestos siding.

1968 – Blocked up 14 windows with concrete.

1970 – U.I. Co. constructs three propane tanks and foundations on site.

2001 – Installation of temporary outdoor meter for 100A service to office trailer.

2013 – Installation of CCTV monitoring on site.

The power plant was named for James English, a former president of the United Illuminating Company, which was formed in 1899 through a consolidation of the New Haven and Bridgeport Electric Companies. English Station burned coal until 1960, and subsequently switched to residual fuel oil. In 1974, UI built Harbor Station in the East Shore, converting English station into a “peaking unit,” a station used only during times of peak demand. It was placed on “deactivated reserve” in 1992 due to the cost inefficiency of producing electricity on the site. Because of an energy-restructuring act, UI was required to sell off all its energy assets and transferred ownership of the plant in 2000 to Quinnipiac Energy, a move that cost UI $4.25 million (New Haven Independent, 2009). The ownership of the power plant would change hands again, this time to Evergreen Power LLC. Evergreen hired Grant McKaye, a Utah-based industrial demolition company, to knock down the building by early 2012. However, carcinogens known as PCBs discovered in the oil produced by English Station caused plans for the plant’s demolition to be placed on hold, and scrutiny to be placed on the plant itself. Regulators asserted that Evergreen’s current salvage operations could be releasing even more hazardous material on the site, which then led to the company falling out with Grant McKaye Co., who realized that the company might not get permission to dismantle the plant due to legal and environmental concerns. Robert Smuts, a city spokesman at the time, outlined New Haven’s priorities regarding the site: “first and foremost to make sure there is no active health or other public safety issue with the site, Two, making sure there isn’t a mess an LLC goes off and walks away from, leaving the city with a million dollar price tag. Third, finding a productive reuse of the property” (New Haven Independent, 2011). While Smuts assured that the city was being actively involved in the cleanup, the presence of harmful substances on the property may complicate the situation. Due to the presence of both asbestos and carcinogens, demolition of the site would be a complicated and costly process and may run the risk of releasing more hazardous materials. Indeed, Smuts and other officials conceded that the most environmentally safe course of action for the building may be to leave it as is, perhaps a cold comfort to Fair Haven and Wooster Square residents who will feel first-hand the effects of the plant’s pollutants. Additionally, several New Haven community groups are also pushing against the demolition of the building due to its “eye-catching” nature and its history as a local landmark. The Urban Design League asserts, “the architectural firm of Wescott and Mapes designed the power plant in the 1920s to ‘appeal to the eye as well as the cash box,’” and other groups have argued for its preservation as a historical landmark (New Haven Independent, 2011). An administrative order issued by DEEP and Attorney General George Jepsen in April 2013 cited the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals, and other harmful substances on the site of the power plant. The order was issued to the plant’s current owners, Asnat Realty of New York and Wilmington, Md.-based Evergreen Power, as well as Grant MacKay Demolition Co., and its original owner, U.I. (New Haven Register, 2013). As of 2013, U.I. claimed that they are not responsible for the cleanup of the plant, due to the fact that they have not owned it in thirteen years. However, the current owners assert that U.I. does still share some of the burden, an assessment that is shared with some local and state officials (New Haven Independent, 2009). Controversy also surrounded the plant’s original owner, United Illuminating Company, when it announced that it was moving its headquarters out of New Haven to Orange, CT. Activists and state officials alike admonished the company for its failure to clean up English Station, U.I. may in fact retain some liability for the plant it ran for 62 years, if its current owners fail to clean up the site (New Haven Independent, 2011). New Haven Mayor John DeStefano expressed concern regarding the station’s current status, asserting, "stalling on cleaning up English Station is perplexing, as potential health risks to humans and environmental risks to the harbor only increase with the passage of time." (New Haven Register, 2013). English Station is currently regarded as “in limbo,” with political, environmental, and architectural concerns in conflict over what the best course of action is for the deteriorating local landmark and the hazardous chemicals it harbors.

English Station is located on the highly-altered Ball Island in the Mill River between Fair Haven and Wooster Square (Newtownship?). Throughout much of the 20th century, this site provided proximity to both shipping and rail lines in the area, while remaining relatively isolated from the commercial and residential areas it served.

The first power plant, constructed around 1900, is a “simple utilitarian structure” without much ornamentation. The 1927-1947 power plant, the more iconic structure with four chimneys designed by Westcott and Mapes, evokes “futuristic fantasies,” according to Elizabeth Mills Brown, who further describes, “reveries of medieval strongholds and electric minarets in a white cloud of smoke combine to produce one of the city’s most haunting architectural images.” (New Haven Historic Resources Inventory)

Elizabeth Mills Brown. “New Haven: A Guide to Architecture and Urban Design” (New Haven: Yale University, 1976) New Haven Building Department. “Building Permit Application for 510 Grand Avenue” New Haven Museum New Haven Historical Society New Haven Historic Resources Inventory Connecticut Historical Commission Melissa Bailey. Who's To Blame for English Station? "New Haven Independent” (August 3, 2009) Laurel Leff. Demolition Derailed; English Station in Limbo "New Haven Independent" (August 19, 2011) Luther Turmelle. Arguments Stall Cleanup of English Station Plant "New Haven Register" (July 10, 2013)