To onlookers, it may seem like the spaces boasting signs for Dunkin Donuts and SportsPark on Chapel Street are two different buildings. However, these distinct Chicago Commercial-style facades came together as one building, 770 Chapel, in a 1970 renovation. Today, the building includes office spaces and MakeHaven, a community makerspace. Although it has been used primarily for office space since the 1970 renovation, the site has a rich history of being a bustling commercial center for Downtown New Haven. The building was once home to some of New Haven’s most prominent department stores including Stanley Dry Goods, Mendel & Harris, and Mendel & Freedman.

1842-1888: Edward E. Hall & Son (6)

1888-1921: Mendel & Freedman (2)

1921: Fire destroys Mendel & Freedman, and buildings are rebuilt as New Haven’s first fireproof structures (2)

1921-1929: Mendel & Harris (2)

1929-1961: Stanley Dry Goods (1)

1963: Komisar’s World of Furniture (7)

1970: 770-774 Chapel and 776-780 Chapel merge to become 770 Chapel; new stucco and glass facade covers historic facades of buildings (4)

1972: Komisar’s World of Furniture + government office spaces (8)

1985: $4 million renovation announced to accommodate temporary home for New Haven City Hall; Renovation includes removal of 1970 facade to uncover historic facades (5)

1989: State of Connecticut, Ninth Square Building Operations, Unique Boutique, New Haven Community Investment Corp. (9)

1995: Dunkin Donuts, CT Judicial Dept, Unique Boutique (10)

2011-2015: SportsPark, Dunkin Donuts

2018: MakeHaven, Dunkin Donuts, SeeClickFix, Patient Wisdom, Law Offices

According to a drawing created by Deacon Charles Bostwick, the site of 770 Chapel in 1786 was likely the home and blacksmith shop of Theophilus Munson (12). By the end of the next century, Orange Street had been built and the block had been fully populated by buildings (13). In 1901, 770-774 Chapel was the Mendel & Freedman department store, in addition to a photo gallery (14). By 1924, the buildings at 770-774 Chapel and 776-780 Chapel had been rebuilt as Mendel & Harris with fireproof construction (11). The buildings later held Besse-Richey, Stanley’s Dry Goods, and Komisar’s World of Furniture. In 1970, the two buildings were merged into a single 770 Chapel building as we know the space today.

The space that 770 Chapel now occupies was once the center of commerce in Downtown New Haven, housing some of the city’s most prominent department stores. From 1888-1921, Mendel & Freedman was a New Haven institution that offered “solid values” of the time (1); the department store was one in which families would return year after year. In 1921, the business closed after a severe fire destroyed the interior of the store (2). As a result, the buildings at 770-774 Chapel and 776-780 Chapel were rebuilt as New Haven’s first fireproof structures (3, 11). Adolph Mendel found a new partner and opened up Mendel & Harris at 770-774 Chapel. Mendel & Harris eventually went out of business due to competition, and the space became Stanley Dry Goods for the next three decades. Stanley’s, as it was referred to, was a full-line department store that included elevators to move shoppers between five selling floors (1).

In 1963, Harry Komisar moved his family furniture business, Komisar’s World of Furniture, into the space. In 1970, Komisar announced a $2 million renovation project to merge 770-774 and 776-780 Chapel to become 770 Chapel. The project, undertaken by DeMatteo Construction Company, called for a complete demolition and renovation of the interior of the building. The four exterior walls remained intact, but a new stucco and glass facade was added to unify the two building fronts that faced Chapel Street. Komisar’s business remained in the building for several more years, but the primary goal of the renovation was to create office space in the building. The 92,000 square foot space became one of the largest office spaces in New Haven (4).

In 1984, Komisar and Arthur T. Barbieri sold the property to Ninth Square Historic Partnership. In 1985, a $4 million renovation of 770 Chapel was announced to accommodate a temporary home for the New Haven City Hall. As part of this renovation, the 1970 facade was removed to uncover the historic facades of the adjacent Stanley's and Besse-Richey buildings. In addition to the City Hall spaces, the renovation included plans for two retail spaces in the building (5). The building housed government offices through the 1990s.

In the mid-1990s, a New England staple, Dunkin Donuts, was added to the street level of 770 Chapel (10). The building was also home to various retail stores over the years including Unique Boutique and SportsPark. Although the large SportsPark sign remains on the building, the store went out of business in 2015. Today, 770 Chapel is undergoing more interior renovations to attract businesses to its office spaces. In particular, the building has been able to attract a number of small tech startups, designating the building as a hub for innovation in New Haven. MakeHaven, a community makerspace, moved into the basement of the building in early 2018.

770 Chapel is located within the Ninth Square District of Downtown New Haven. The district is a mixed use area with retail and residential buildings, as well as a number of restaurants and entertainment venues. The building is located a block away from a busy bus stop, and the area has a number of street vendors selling a variety of goods year-round. Across the street from 770 Chapel, specialty groceries and luxury apartments can be found at Elm City Market and the residences at 360 State Street.

The facade of 770 Chapel Street is comprised of two adjacent Chicago Commercial-style facades from the early 1920s. Although these facades remain distinct, the interior was renovated in 1970 to become one building at 770 Chapel. In interpreting the Sanborn Map from 1924, it appears that the building was built with reinforced concrete and brick (11). Both facades are characterized by distinct horizontal divisions to separate the floors, with vertical dividers also breaking up the long horizontal stretches of windows into three parts. Each facade is highly symmetrical, with ornamentation located at the horizontal divisions or at the top of the building. The part of the building which used to be 776-780 Chapel includes a shallow arch at the top of the building, in contrast to the flat, bracketed roof of former 770-774 Chapel.

1. Dudar, Walter. "In ‘Old’ New Haven: 770 Chapel St. in other days." New Haven Register , February 15, 1961. Accessed at New Haven Museum.
2. "Downtown Tour: Mendel and Freedman." Walk New Haven . Accessed February 24, 2018. http://www.walknewhaven.org/tours/sites/downtown/downtown_site07b.html.
3. “Ninth Square Historic District.” United States Department of the Interior National Park Service: National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form. May 3, 1894.  
4. Dudar, Walter. “$2 Million Komisar Project: Chapel Street Offices Planned.” New Haven Register.  Accessed at New Haven Museum.
5. Venoit, Stanley J. “Interim City Hall getting $4 million face lift.” New Haven Register, August 22, 1985. Accessed at New Haven Museum.
6. Edward E. Hall & Son. Advertisement. Yale Literary Magazine, October 1896.
7. New Haven Directory, New Haven: Price & Lee Co., 1963. Accessed at New Haven Museum.
8. New Haven Directory, New Haven: Price & Lee Co., 1972. Accessed at New Haven Museum.
9. New Haven Directory, New Haven: Price & Lee Co., 1989. Accessed at New Haven Museum.
10. New Haven Directory, New Haven: Price & Lee Co., 1995. Accessed at New Haven Museum.
11. Insurance Maps of New Haven, Connecticut. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Sanborn Map Company, 1924.
12. Botswick, Deacon Charles. "The Chapel Street of One Hundred Years Ago." Map. 1845. Accessed through Dana Collection, New Haven Museum.
13. Insurance Maps of New Haven, Connecticut. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Sanborn Map Company, 1886.
14. Insurance Maps of New Haven, Connecticut. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Sanborn Map Company, 1901.