The Washington Building

The Washington Building is located at the intersection of Church Street and Crown Street, in New Haven's historic Ninth Square district. Standing four stories tall, the prominent Washington Building was designed with a beautiful grand entryway with period mosaic tile floors, hand-carved wood trim, an elegant marble staircase, ornamental railings, an exquisite modillion cornice and decorative masonry throughout; All of which have been recently restored to their original splendor by The Hurley Group. Although initially used primarily for commercial office space, the second, third, and fourth floors are now home to 18 luxury apartments. Each of which has been constructed to blend modern and contemporary details with charming historic elements.

Hof-Brau-Haus Restaurant, Frolich Cigar Store, Farrell's, Becker's, A. Schulte Cigars, Nathan Kaufman Men’s Furnishings, Gilden's Jewelers, Gotham Citi Cafe, and numerous professional offices of lawyers, dentists, and insurance agencies.

The intersection of Church and Crown has been home to numerous commercial structures long before the introduction of the Washington Building in 1900. In 1849, the intersection was home to a boot and shoe emporium as well as a Chinese tea store. In fact, The Washington Building itself replaced one of New Haven's earliest hotels- The Central House (7).

Edward M. Clark was the original owner of The Washington Building and remained owner until 1911 when it was sold to the Hubinger family (1, 2). In 1953, ownership transferred to Woodstock Realty Incorporated, and today, it is owned by The Hurley Group (7). Tenants have come and gone through the years but have consistently followed the trend of retail shops and restaurants on the ground floor, with professional offices above - typically occupied by lawyers, dentists, and insurance agents. By 1946, ground floor tenants consisted of Schulte Cigars, Florsheim Shoes, and Whitten's Haberdasher. Today nail pro is the only residing retail shop in the building. One of the building’s controversial former tenants was the Gotham Citi Café, a nightclub that created many issues for this otherwise quiet commercial district. The recent renovations of the Washington building have sparked further improvement to its residing area of the ninth square region, a culturally vibrant district of the city that has helped spur downtown development and revitalization(8).

The Washington building is a contributing building to New Haven's Historic Ninth Street District, an area of the city that on May 3, 1984, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (6). The Ninth Square district is centered around the intersection of Chapel Street and Orange Street and is comprised of 78 well-preserved 19th and 20th-century commercial structures (9). The Washington Building shares many similar qualities with its surrounding ninth square neighbors. Most buildings in this district are 3-5 stories tall with little to no setback from the sidewalk and are comprised of stylish facades of masonry construction featuring decorative treatments in terracotta and ornate cornice detail or wood carvings (9). Located on the edge of the district, the rich texture quality of the Washington Building's front facade contrasts sharply with the sleek unornamented facades of the modern buildings around it.

With its symmetrical facade, smooth masonry construction, richly carved terracotta window supports, fluted columns, flat roof, and an ornate projecting modillion cornice, The Washington Building embodies a late renaissance revival architectural design (1). Built in the year 1900, the building was initially home to many small office spaces (2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors), retail stores and restaurants. Some originals included Hof-Brau-Haus restaurant, Frolich Cigar Store, and Nathan Kaufman Men's Furnishings (1). Although in 1955 alterations were made and some commercial tenants changed, the overall function and layout of the building did not change. It was not until 2016 that significant renovations were made. Although the ground floor remained retail space, at this time, the upstairs office spaces were transformed into luxury apartments (4, 5).

1.Connecticut Historical Commission, Historic Resources Inventory Document: The Washington, 139

2.Atlas of New Haven 1911, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, Plate 13, 1911.

3.Sanborn Map Company of New York, Atlas of New Haven 1924, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, Plate 5, 1924.

4.The New Haven Group, New Haven Office Building to be Converted to Apartments, accessed February 20th, 2018.

http://www.thenewhavengroup.com/MarketNewsItem.aspx?MarketNews_ID=207

5 .Mary O’Leary, Downtown New Haven office building to be converted to apartments, keep retail component, accessed February 20th, 2018.

https://www.nhregister.com/business/article/Downtown-New-Haven-office-building-to-be-11343260.php

6.The Washington, Home and History, accessed February 19th, 2018.

https://www.thewashingtonbuilding.com

https://www.thewashingtonbuilding.com/history/ .

7.New Haven Building Archive, 35-39 Church Street, accessed February 21st, 2018.

https://nhba.yale.edu/building?id=58e6b948adb817121752a688#.

8.Tom Condon, After two decades, it’s New Haven’s SoHo, accessed February 20th, 2018.

https://ctmirror.org/2016/08/16/after-two-decades-its-new-havens-soho/.

9.New Haven Preservation Trust, Ninth Square Historic District, accessed February 21st, 2018.

http://nhpt.org/index.php/site/district/ninth_square_historic_district/