The William Bartlett House

The William Bartlett House was constructed in 1876 for Mr. Bartlett, an employee of the Treasurer Union Trust Company. Originally part of a duplex, the other half the building was destroyed in the first half of the 20th century to provide access to a rear parking lot. Today, the High Victorian Gothic building is the last remnant of the 18th and 19th century College Street residential neighborhood, serving as a reminder to busy passersby of the city’s long history. The building was converted for commercial use in the mid-20th century, and today is home to a classic New Orleans-style restaurant known as the “Queen Zuri.”

1876--early 1900s: William Bartlett and family

Early 1900s-1940s: Residential building occupied by various tenants

1940s-1990s: Mixed-use commercial and residential building, started as a restaurant in the 1940s owned by the Sudock family, converted into a beauty salon in the 1960s-70s. The building was intermittently unoccupied

1990s-2010s: Occupied by the Samurai Japanese Restaurant

2017-present: Occupied by the Queen Zuri

The William Bartlett House has stood in the same form since its creation in 1876, however the neighborhood surrounding it has undergone an immense transformation. When first constructed, the Bartlett house was one of dozens of residential homes on College Street and in the surrounding areas. It shared a block with the College Street Congregational Church and stood around the corner from Carll’s Opera house and the Grand Union Hotel. Its prime location just a block from the Yale University campus likely made the land well-desired by local New Haven residents. By the mid-1900s, the College and Crown street neighborhood was beginning to transform into a mixed-residential and commercial space. While it still remained a family home, some of the former residences across the street had been converted into apartments and office space, and the Taft Hotel had taken up residence on opposite block. An entertainment hub, the Shubert Theater across the street now attracted hundreds of people from around Connecticut to see productions of vast expense. No longer a quiet neighborhood, the Bartlett House too began to grow with its neighbors and by the mid-1900s had itself become a mixed-use building, hosting restaurants, hair salons and other businesses on its lower floor.

The William Bartlett House was originally the residence of Mr. William T. Bartlett, an employee of the Treasurer Union Trust Company. His family occupied the residence for nearly thirty years before passing it on to other local families, including real estate agents and nurses. The building remained a home until the early 1940s. Then, taking advantage of the expanding commercial downtown district, the Sudock family chose to convert the lower floor of the residence into a restaurant, and regulate their family home to the upper floors. In the 1960s and 1970s, the building transformed into a true mixed-use space, with multiple apartments on the upper floors and a beauty salon replacing the Sudock restaurant. In the 1990s, the Bartlett house was purchased by the Samurai Japanese Restaurant and remained a prime New Haven sushi spot until being taken over by the Queen Zuri in 2017. The transformation of the Bartlett house from a residential duplex into a commercial restaurant reflects the expansion of the New Haven downtown and eventual regulation of residential spaces to the outer edges of the original nine square grid. Its stark presence as such a beautiful Victorian townhouse amidst the more industrial buildings surrounding it today is a reminder of that history.

The William Bartlett House is situated along the busy commercial district section of College Street. It is one of three restaurant buildings dwarfed by the massive entertainment and industrial buildings surrounding it. As a main throughway connecting New Haven with the highway system just a few blocks south, College Street is bustling with cars and pedestrians at all times of day. The block features the more contemporary-style Schubert Theater, College Street Music Hall, and the Crown Street Garage. However, the Bartlett House’s unique High Victorian style adds an element of quaintness and serenity to the busy downtown atmosphere. In the summer months, the shaded front porch of the house offers an inviting refuge for hungry customers looking to enjoy a bit of live music and good, southern food. The Bartlett House keeps a growing street pedestrian friendly, and stands as a reminder of New Haven’s evolving history.