121-127 Wooster Street

On the edge of the historic Wooster Square district, this Italianate style brick building, constructed c. 1870, stands as a testament to the rich Italian heritage of this iconic New Haven neighborhood. At one time or another, a number of treasured local businesses, such as the famed Mike’s Meat Market (1930-1978) and later Tony and Lucille’s, were located at 127 Wooster Street. (1) A three-story, rectangular building with a low-pitched, nearly flat roof, and overhanging eaves ornamented with fairly unassuming brackets, the building graces the corner of Chestnut and Wooster streets. Owned by the Society of Santa Maria Maddalena since 1905, this building, which houses 121, 123, 125 and 127 Wooster, has historically featured a mixture of commercial and residential uses. (2) 127 Wooster Street, a one-story commercial front carved out of the first floor of 125 Wooster sometime in the 20^th century, has been occupied by Americana Memories since 2016, a store specializing in vintage college pennants. 121 to 125 Wooster are all residential, with 123 Wooster housing the Society of Santa Maria Maddalena, the Italian fraternal organization which owns the building as a whole. 

Please refer to document titled "Past Tenants" in the multimedia gallery for this entry.

From what this researcher could gather, it appears that there was no urban structure situated in this location before the construction of 121-127 Wooster Street in c. 1870. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps show its continuous occupation since the late 19^th century. The construction of this building hints at the expansion of the Wooster Square neighborhood from one that was heavily centered around the commercial activity of the seaport, to a flourishing residential and commercial district in its own right.

In many ways, 121-127 Wooster Street has played a central role in the development of what is now recognized, with some degree of nostalgia, as the Little Naples of New Haven. It seems clear to locals and outside observers alike that the heyday of this neighborhood has passed. To that end, Wooster Street has remained as a kind of living relic to the Italian immigrant community which once flourished here beginning in the late 19^th century, when scores of Italians came to the United States seeking better economic opportunities. (5) It is not surprising then that the tenants, such as the Espositos, the Ferraras, the DeVitos, who resided at 121-127 Wooster Street seem to be of largely Italian origin. As far as one can tell, it appears that since its construction in c. 1870, the apartments at 121-123-125 Wooster have always been residential units, housing a large number of tenants, perhaps with one individual or family on each of the three floors. Since 1905, 123 Wooster Street, in particular, has housed the Society of Santa Maria Maddalena, the oldest Italian-American fraternal organization in Connecticut. Founded on May 1, 1898, this Society, named for the patron saint of Atrani, Italy, provided aid to newly-arrived Italian immigrants, assisting them with “housing, employment and legal matters.” (6) Today, the Society, which has struggled to maintain its appeal with the younger generations, has shifted towards more community-oriented activities. (7) The Society of Santa Maria Maddalena, whose feast day is celebrated every July in New Haven, has played such a prominent role in the city’s history that in 1998, the corner of Wooster and Chestnut streets was named in its honor. (8) In contrast to 121-125 Wooster, 127 Wooster seems to have always served a commercial purpose. In fact, over the span of many decades, it has been home to a number of famous Italian businesses that have played key roles in the lives of New Haven’s large Italian community. In particular, from 1938 to 1970, 127 Wooster housed the famous family-run butcher, Mike’s Meat Market. In the ensuing decades, it would welcome both Tony and Lucille’s, which is now situated down the block at 150 Wooster Street, and Anastasio’s Ristorante. 

Situated on the northern edge of the historic Wooster Square District, in an area “featuring a mixture of residential and commercial architecture dating from the mid-nineteenth through mid-twentieth century,” this building likewise serves a number of residential, commercial and social functions. (4) Prominently standing on the corner of Wooster and Chestnut streets, with a bit of distance from the smaller residential buildings which surround it, this imposing brick row house is a familiar feature of this quiet, yet cheerful New Haven neighborhood. Walking west along Wooster Street, one encounters Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria, Libby’s Italian Pastry Shop, Tony & Lucille’s and Sally’s Apizza, all famous family-run Italian institutions which lend Wooster Street its claim to fame. No longer as prosperous as it once was, however, Wooster does show some signs of an economic downturn. Nevertheless, this peaceful street, dotted with a restaurants, residences and commercial stores, exudes the charm of a tranquil residential environment in which friends and family can continue to enjoy the legacies of New Haven’s famous Italian immigrants. 

Erected with red brick, a common material for Italianate style constructions of the time, this row building represents a “typical and relatively intact example of the type of multi-residential structures erected in the Wooster Square area during the Civil War/Reconstruction era.” (3) A boxy building with three levels and four entries, its low hip roof bears such a slight slant, that it appears completely flat at first glance. Its heavy wooden cornice, decorated with relatively simple brackets placed at regular intervals, marks the roof’s defining feature. The windows, in contrast to other Italiante style buildings of the time, do not feature any pedimentation or intricate ornamentation. Only the subtle lintels above and the sills below give the white windows added character. On the building’s right hand side, two protruding white porticos with square columns cover the raised porches atop the two staircases at 121 and 123 Wooster. On the left side, at the corner of Wooster and Chestnut, a rather odd four-sided protrusion juts out into the street to form the angled commercial entrance of 127 Wooster. Most likely added sometime between 1925 and 1975 when it replaced the original raised porch at 125 Wooster, this commercial facade, whose corner is cut off so as to have the door be angled to the sidewalk, is notably a different material, style and color than the rest of the building. The building, built in c. 1870, is beginning to show some signs of old age.  

(1)  New Haven City Directories, 1914-2006.

(2)  “118 Times, & Counting,” New Haven Independent, July 25, 2016, http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/santa_maria_maddelana/.

(3)  “Item 1950,” New Haven Historic Resources Inventory, Phase II, Volume VIII, Items 1847-1974, New Haven Preservation Trust.

(4)  Ibid.

(5)  “Wooster Square Historic District,” National Register of Historic Places Inventory, July 1969. National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior.

(6)  Wooster Square: Society of Santa Maria Maddalena,” accessed February 27, 2018, http://walknewhaven.org/tours/sites/woostersquare/woostersquare_site09.html.

(7)  “Put Away the Frozen Pizza and ‘Jersey Shore’ Stereotypes to Celebrate Columbus Day the Italian Way, ” New Haven Register, accessed February 27, 2018, https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/Put-away-the-frozen-pizza-and-Jersey-Shore-11410975.php.

(8)  Rosa L. DeLauro, “Santa Maria Maddalena Society,” 2000, Local Legacies, Library of Congress, http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002816/.