WTNH/ Bank Bldg

In it's present day form, the WTNH building is designated for both office space and the Yale University Office of Environmental Health and Safety. At ground level, the exterior of the building consists of a slick granite/marble base along with an inviting front door entrance. As you look to both the left and right of the building you can see two separate establishments call these spots home. A Liberty Bank found to the left and a store designated to scrubs and other medical apparel to the right. As you work up this building vertically you can see the office space begins to become more and more concentrated. This is where the close proximity to the Oak Street Connector becomes a crucial piece to the success of this establishment.

As said in earlier sections, a 1911 Sanborn Fire Insurance map shows a City owned school in the location of present day WTNH/ Bank Bldg (2). At this point in time this area consisted of a less well of people, and at the same time the city is working to keep up with the rest of the country in the redevelopment and advancement of society (7).

To keep up with the changing city and country as a whole, plans for The Oak Street connector were brought to the table in 1957 (6). The creation of this highway took priority to all of the other land and lots in its way so all of this land was cleared out for its production. The extension of College Street gave the WTNH/ Bank Bldg building a home (3).

The WTNH/ Bank Bldg building was built in 1959 and mainly consisted of office space from then till now. Today The Yale office of Environmental Health and Safety calls this building its home, along with medical students who find themselves doing research on many different projects on the top two floors.

Off and on the building has had minor additions to help enhance its appearance and the experience for those who work in the building. On of the more important change came in 2004. It was in 2004 that a parking garage was added in the rear of this lot (3). This was a critical addition do the busyness of the city and also the lack of parking found in the city. The garage also may bring in a small bit of revenue to the land owners.

Prior to 1959 when the WTNH/ Bank Bldg building was nonexistent, a school owned by the city of New Haven sat in its place (2). In fact the entire neighborhood found around this lot was much different back in the early twentieth century. Areas of land were much more divided up, and instead of having large scale establishments crowding the streets, there were many small, modest businesses and homes found throughout (2). Although this area was cut into smaller sections and owned by many different people, it still had a ghost town type situation regarding it (7). Change was on the horizon, but it was not determined what kind of change as of yet.

It was not until 1957 when the dynamics of the downtown New Haven neighborhood took on a dramatic change. In the late 50’s the city found itself in a stage of growth and train voyage was found not to be a suffice method of travelling into the city (6). It was in this year when it was determined that a highway must be established to offer an easier and effective way for customers to travel and spend money in the city (7). The construction of the Oak Street connector called for many changes in the current standing city. This involved the clearing out a lot of city owned land including the school that sat on current 135 college street and even some private land where less well of individuals lived (6).

After construction concluded on this roadway in late 1958, early 1959, buildings and roads were then created to enhance its effectiveness. One change included the lengthening of College Street (2). This street once found itself ending at George Street but now finds itself going well beyond that point. This is where WTNH has found its place in the landscape of downtown New Haven.

This building can be found directly in the center of a buzzing commercial district in downtown New Haven. Being located almost right next to the Oak Street Connector traffic can be seen coming in from all over the region. Vehicles are cruising around the neighborhood at almost any hour of the day.

The first thing that should catch your eye when looking at the WTNH/ Bank BLDG building is the amount of windows that have been constructed into it’s sides. Since much of this area is office space, the resource of natural light is critical to the best production of work. The steel framework of the building allows for heavy office supplies and furniture to be pilled into any of spaces of this structure. As a modernist style building, the flat roof gives off a feeling of a business and focused type environment. The way in which the building is broken up and organized is also quite unique. Instead of having large conference type rooms, this building is broken up into dozens of smaller space rooms. This most likely corresponds with the number of different/separate tasks that must be completed in any given room. Also to become involved in the thriving commerce that is downtown New Haven, a piece of this building on the bottom floor is a scrub shop for those in the medical field.

1)
https://www.commercialcafe.com/commercial-property/us/ct/new-haven/135-college-street/

2) New Haven Museum (1911 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map)

3) City of New Haven Building Department

4) New Haven Historic Resources Inventory

5) Current Worker at WTNH, Interview with author, February 22, 2018.

6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Street_Connector

7) https://www.citylab.com/equity/2016/09/making-a-better-city-out-of-model-city/499679/

8) Google Maps