Grace Light Center

844 Grand avenue is a three-bay, three-story vernacular brick building that sits at a slight angle to grand avenue. The building has a two-story added facade in wood and plasterwork. The original building was clearly a nondescript commercial building, but its facade features an oddly tall arch with windows to fill it. The first record of 844 grand avenue can be found on the 1879 Bailey map of New Haven. The earliest tenant found was one Edward Haesche, a second-hand furniture maker, who went on to work for J.C. Peck and Son, a much larger furniture manufacturer and seller. Haesche had possession of the building from 1884 to 1887, when it passed out of his hands. The next recorded owner was Isidore Opper, who opened up an obviously successful furniture store in the space: Opper had possession of the building from 1897 to 1923, during which time he made two changes to the building: by 1911 he made a small addition to the rear of the building, and by 1923 Opper had extended the front of the building slightly, resulting in today's rather incongruous façade with its disproportionate arch. It is likely that he also added the building's  From 1924 to 1932 the space was  occupied by the Automatic Music Store, and from 1932-1935 by Lena Rodofsky, another furniture retailer, and these tenants saw out the worst of the Depression. After spending 1936 vacant, the building was bought by the Boston Specialty company,  a furniture company, in 1937. Boston Specialty Company maintained possession until 1949, and the building sat vacant from 1950 to 1953, when it was acquired by the Marcus Furniture Company. In 1970, the Academy furniture company acquired the building and kept it until 1977, when it was acquired by Credit Furniture. Credit Furniture lost possession of the building in 1980, and it sat vacant until 1984, when Klein and Jay developers acquired it as part of a plan to revitalize Grand Avenue. Klein and Jay leased the building to the Marst Corporation for the year 1988, then used the building as their own headquarters from 1988 to 1990. During this time 844 Grand has a number of listed sublettors, suggesting that Klein and Jay subdivided the property into a number of retail and commercial spaces. By 1993 all the units of 844 stood vacant, and in 1994 Wilhelm Gertz bought the building and opened Wilhelm Gertz Pianos, which stayed open until his death in 2006. In 2007 his estate sold 844 Grand to the New Haven Centers of Light, who remain its sole owners and occupants today.



 



1879-Appears on Bailey map of New Haven



1884 Acquired by Edward Haesche



1886 Sanborn Map, marked "2nd Hand Furniture"



1887 Haesche no longer listed as owner



1897 Acquired by Isidore Opper, furniture seller.



1901 Sanborn Map-Marked Furniture



1911 Sanborn Map-Addition in back, marked Opper



1923 Sanborn Map-New Facade, marked I. Opper



1924/5 Acquired by Automatic Music Store.



1932 Acquired by Lena Rodofsky Furniture



1936 vacant



1937-1949 Boston Specialty Company



1950-1952 vacant



1953-1969 Marcus Furniture Company



1970-1976/7 Academy Furniture Company



1978-1980 Credit Furniture



1981-1983 No information



1984 Acquired by Klein/Jay Developers



1988 Sublet by Marst Corp.



1989 4 tenants: Klein/Jay Developers, Continuum of Care, Professional Practice Sales, Youth Continuum of Tri-Ryc inc.



1990 2 tenants: Continuum of Care, Tri-Ryc inc.



1991-1993 vacant



1994 Acquired by Wilhelm Hertz



1995-2007 Wilhelm Gertz Pianos



2007 Acquired by Centers of Light



2008-Present New Haven Center of Light