First New Haven National Bank

The First New Haven National Bank Building is a modern, masonry and steel, 8 story building on the corner of Chapel and George Streets in New Haven. The simple design of two towers, one clad in granite and the other in glass, was Robert Orr’s winning design for the former home of the New Haven First National Bank (“First New Haven National Bank”). Situated in the 9th square of the New Haven grid, the building is nearest to the Yale Health Center, the Knights of Columbus Building and the New Haven Connector (Maynard). Though originally built in 1961 for the increasingly powerful First New Haven National Bank Group, the building is currently used as office space for various organizations due to the bank’s closure. The most notable of these tenants are the US Consulate for Ecuador and the Yale Center for Outcomes, Research and Evaluations. During the period of redevelopment in the 1950’s and 60’s in New Haven, most of the land near the plot of 1 Church Street was being leased, however the economic power of the First New Haven National Bank as the primary lender for redevelopment positioned the organization well to purchase the lot for their headquarters (Domhoff).

The original tenant of 1 Church Street was the First New Haven National Bank until the bank’s closure in 1984. Current tenants of the New Haven First National Bank Building include The US Consulate for Ecuador, the Yale Center for Outcomes, Research and Evaluations and the accounting firm of McGladrey and Pullen. There are currently open floors of the building available to lease ("1 Church Street.").

The Church Street district in New Haven is an area that changed significantly before urban redevelopment. Before the construction of the First New Haven National Bank Building, various smaller stores operated within the 9th Square. As seen in the Sanborn maps, usage changed slightly over time, however most stores remained relatively small and were owned and operated by local New Haven residents. In Sanborn maps approaching the age of redevelopment, a parking garage was plainly visible, representing a shift from pedestrian and streetcar travel to personal automobiles. This shift from smaller stores to commercial centers and parking garages was increasingly common, as New Haven tried to reposition itself as an economic hub in the new age of the automobile. Exact site history is difficult to pinpoint due to the many small stores that operated within the area pre-redevelopment but it is fair to say that the use has shifted from small commercial enterprises to large office buildings.

Since the First New Haven National Bank’s creation in 1961, the building has been occupied by the First New Haven National Bank, McGladrey and Pullen Accountants, The Consulate of Ecuador and the Yale Center for Outcomes, Research and Evaluations. The New Haven National Bank operated in the area until it was acquired in 1984 by Connecticut National Bank ("First Bank."). From this period on, the building’s floors have been rented out by a series of tenants who held offices within the building. Prior to the building’s creation, the area housed a series of small shops and a parking garage (see Sanborn map from 1924). The creation of the building itself was highly contentious because of its inclusion in the redevelopment during the Dick Lee era of New Haven from 1954 to 1969. Within this era, Mayor Lee focused his efforts on changing New Haven’s reputation from a slum city to a city of the future. On Church street alone, his efforts to redevelop ended up forcing over 800 small businesses to close ("Richard Lees Urban Renewal in New Haven."). In other areas, Lee’s efforts would displace families, destroy homes and uproot many ethnically rich communities within the city of New Haven.

The First New Haven National Bank Building is situated on the corner of Church and George Streets in the 9th square of the New Haven grid system. The building’s closest neighbors are the George Street Parking Garage, Columbus Park and Gateway Community College’s North Building. Both the Knights of Columbus Building and the New Haven Connector are visible to the south of the building and three blocks to the north is the New Haven Green. This area has contentious history due to the urban redevelopment that occurred in the 9th square in the 1960’s under former mayor Dick Lee (Domhoff). See Social History for more information.