Timothy Bishop House

Located in the heart of New Haven's central business district, the Timothy Bishop house is an extraordinary representation of late 18th c. and early 19th c. Federal-style architecture.[i] Although it has undergone some modification over the years, the building is praised for its iconic preservation and integrity. The 2 ½ floor symmetrical house features paired end-chimneys, four magnificent white columns and an iron staircase that leads up to the first-floor portico. In addition to being labeled an architectural gem, the Timothy Bishop House is a historical emblem of Yale in the New Haven community. In 1816 the residence was built for the family of Dr. Timothy Bishop.[ii] Today, the building’s basement and ell contain the offices of Private Investigator and State Marshall Robert S. Miller, Farmers Insurance, Juan Carlos Cleves-Banyon, M.D., and Gordon Weiss, M.D.

[i] Rutberg, Alan . Historic Resources Inventory: Buildings and Structures. PDF. Hartford: Connecticut Historical Commission, January 19, 1981.

[ii] Rutberg, Alan . Historic Resources Inventory: Buildings and Structures. PDF. Hartford: Connecticut Historical Commission, January 19, 1981.

• 1816 - 1873: Residence for the family of Dr. Timothy Bishop, Secretary of the New Haven Hospital and member of the New Haven Colony Historical Society.
• 1873 – 1910: Residence of Edward M. McCabe, M.D. During this time, the house address was 22 Elm Street.
• 1910 - 1945: Charles P. Thompson acquired the house. He opened an antique shop in the basement and oversaw a majority of the interior and exterior alterations to the building. During this time, it became known as the Thompson Shop.
• Circa 1980: Windsor Realty Co. leased the building as commercial office space

Prior to construction of the Timothy Bishop House, 32 Elm Street was an empty plot of land. According to a 1748 Plan for the Town of New Haven, the site had been granted to Rev. John Davenport and was being used as a private garden. Some sources have suggested that Davenport’s lot was strategically positioned as to facilitate access to the central marketplace (the present-day New Haven Town Green) and the harbor. Establishing a colony in 18th century New Haven, Davenport’s colonial prominence relays important information about the site’s political authority and its prestige within the broader city landscape. Indeed, it appears as though this historical prestige may have transcended time. In 1815 the lot was purchased by Timothy Bishop, graduate of Yale Medical School, Secretary of the New Haven Hospital and member of the New Haven Colony Historical Society. The historical and cultural importance of this site, might explain why it is one of the few early 19th century homes remaining in the area. 

One of the most interesting aspects of the Timothy Bishop House is its ability to elude renewal and development practices that have transformed the surrounding area. Many researchers have acknowledged the remarkable and notably rare preservation of this historic building. When the Timothy Bishop House was constructed in 1816, this area of town had been characterized as a “fashionable residential neighborhood.” Then, as large expanses of land opened in the northern and western quarters of town, many wealthy landowners chose to relocate their residences. Concurrent with this exodus, redevelopment projects of the early 20^th century transformed the area it into a commercial district. Following WWII and peaking in the mid-1950s was another surge of redevelopment projects. Attempts at urban renewal effectively replaced older structures with more modern structures.Somehow the Timothy Bishop House managed to escape encroaching renewal and was formally recognized as a New Haven Landmark by the New Haven Preservation Trust.

There is ample reason to believe that the building’s structural resilience is tied to the social and cultural authority of its origins. Before being purchased by the Bishop family, the site was originally land owned by Rev. John Davenport.Both Davenport and Bishop had significant affiliations to the civic and educational institutions embedded within New Haven. These institutions are emblems of immense social capital, even today. Despite decades of redevelopment and land transformations, the Timothy Bishop House has remained practically unchanged. Aside from minimal structural adjustments and interior redesigning, the building closely resembles its original construction. Efforts to preserve the buildings physical form, most likely required funding and resource allocation by the city of New Haven and the New Haven Preservation Trust. Hence, one might infer that the Bishop House possesses significant value beyond the scope of architectural artistry.

One could also argue that the social function had changed slightly during the transition from residential to commercial usage. However, it is interesting to note the enduring symbolic representation. Some distinguishing characteristics, including the New Haven Landmark plaque, hanging directory sign and barbed wire fencing emphasize the building’s historical sanctity and eminence and offer stark comparison to nearby buildings. Additionally, the Timothy Bishop House is composed of law offices and doctor’s offices. These things lead me to believe that the Timothy Bishop House still functions as a representation of the power and wealth associated with civic engagement and higher education.

The building is located on the south side of Elm Street, one block east of Orange Street and one block west of State Street central thoroughfare. Today, the block lies within the heart of New Haven’s civic centers and commercial activities - walking distance from the City Hall, public library, multiple banks and the News 8 WTNH headquarters. The Timothy Bishop house is enclosed by parking lots on its right and in its rear. Directly across the street are two more historic Federal buildings, currently occupied by law offices. Farther down Elm Street in both directions are various restaurants, office buildings, and small retail stores. On any given day, there is a heavy flow of traffic, most likely heading towards I-91 and I-95 interstate highways. Especially during business hours, pedestrian activity seems to be concentrated along Orange Street. 

The Timothy Bishop House is a phenomenal example of the Federal-style architecture that dominated the early 19th century. The house is a basic square shape, 2 ½ stories high and two rooms deep. The house is complemented by a portico with ionic capitals atop four white columns. At the far ends of the building are pilasters surmounted by ionic capitals identical to those on the columns. A pediment rests above the column structures. In the center of the pediment is a semi-elliptical window (fanlight), which displays the geometrical décor common to Federal buildings. On the second floor is a detailed center bay with miniature pilasters and elaborate molding. The gable roof lies parallel to the street, slanting downwards and allowing for a pristine view of the symmetrical rooftop chimneys. The front of the building is decorated with large windows that seem to be barred with a decorative wrought iron guard. The front wooden door has an elliptical window overhead and two sidelight panels on either end. The dark coloring of the door offers extreme contrast to the neutral colored clapboard. In 1910 the building was renovated to include an elevated basement with two large storefront windows and an iron staircase leading up to the main entrance. The top floor was also remodeled in the 1930s to resemble the ballroom of its neighbor, the John Cook House. Extending from the northwest wing of the building is a two-level brick building that was also constructed during this renovation. It has a flat gable roof and a very homogenous body in terms of texture and color. There are multiple regular size windows along the length of the building. Along the sides of the building are multiple iron staircases allowing entry to different office buildings. There is also a blue tent reading “Timothy Bishop House” that hangs overhead a first-floor entrance. None of these side entrances are visible from the street. At first glance, its architecture doesn’t appear to coincide with the Federal style of the main building. 

Brown, Elizabeth Mills. New Haven: A Guide to Architecture and Urban Design. Yale University , 1976.

DANA collection (bk. 24 pg. 57A). New Haven Museum, New Haven. Accessed February 22, 2018.

Historic American Buildings Survey, C. & Hoadley, D. (1933) Timothy Bishop House, Elm Street, New Haven, New Haven County, CT. Connecticut New Haven New Haven County, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/ct0060/.

Kelly, Cassius W. "1911 Atlas of New Haven." Map. In Yale Digital Atlas . Vol. 1. Boston: O.W. Walker, 1911.

"Now and Then: New Haven Series." The New Haven Registrar(New Haven), 1931. Accessed February 22, 2018. DANA .

"New Haven Preservation Trust." Preservation in New Haven. Accessed February 24, 2018. https://nhpt.org/index.php/about_new_haven/preservation_in_new_haven/.

Rutberg, Alan . Historic Resources Inventory: Buildings and Structures. PDF. Hartford: Connecticut Historical Commission, January 19, 1981.

"Timothy Bishop House, New Haven Connecticut." Historic Structures. January 20, 2011. Accessed February 22, 2018. http://www.historic-structures.com/ct/new_haven/bishop_house.php.

Wadsworth, James. Plan of the City of New Haven Taken in 1748. 1748.