Orange Street Row Houses

545 Orange Street is one in a set of four French Second Empire style row houses. It was constructed between 1868 and 1869 by Nelson C Newgeon. Since its construction, 545 Orange Street has been a residential building to a number of different tenants over the years. It is seated in a residential community within close proximity to Yale’s campus. 

Original Client: Mrs. Elizabeth Murphy 

Owner #1: Augustus D. Hendrick

Owner #2: James D. & Dorothy J Hershman

(Privately owned following this) 

Tenants within the last 20 years according to zillow.com) 

1. Sold on 6/16/00 
2. Sold on 7/30/03 
3. Sold on 7/25/17 to the current owner Ms. Katie Smith  

545 Orange Street was originally commissioned by Mrs. Elizabeth Murphy. This row house was built around 1868-1869 by Nelson C Newgeon. That same year, he sold 545 to a clock maker named, Augustus D. Hendrick. Since its construction, this building has remained a residential establishment. 

In the early 1800s, (Prior to the construction of this building), the land between State and Orange Street was a 112-acre farm belonging to a prominent city leader, Abraham Bishop (see image gallery (1)). Following his death in 1844, the land was subdivided and given to his heirs. Subsequently, in the 1850s, those heirs divided the land into building lots, which were then sold for profit. Streets in this area today remain named after his heirs (ie. Clark, Bishop, Nicoll. Edwards, and Foster). 

The sale of much of this land greatly attributed to the rapid development of the residential community in this district. This development was well-suited to accommodate the area’s rapid population growth. Although there was a significant amount of residential buildings in the area prior, the addition of these plots further contributed to the amount of residential development to the north. Many of the buildings designed in the French Second Empire Style are of the multi-family variety (like 545). 

In the coming decades, the land continued to develop and became home to a mostly middle-class family population. Many of the people who lived in these houses were employed as skilled laborers, builders, shop owners, and businessmen. 

This set of row houses was built in an overall residential area. This building is in close proximity to a cafe and other small restaurants. 545 Orange Street is also near the Yale School of Management and Peabody Museum of Natural History. This set of row houses lies between Pearl and Clark Street. 545 Orange Street sits on the east side of Orange amongst other residential buildings. The buildings surrounding it are mostly of a variety of different mid-to-late 19th century styles, including Italianate, Queen Anne mode, and Gothic Revival. The buildings in this area are high in density and overall many in number. In the summer and spring months, foliage would surround much of the street and nearby houses creating shade and adding color to the block. 

545 Orange Street is part of a collection of four identical row houses. When facing them, 545 is seated furthest to the right. The row houses have a continuous mansard roof made of slate. Above the mansard roof, there is a decorated wooden cornice; a typical decoration of French Second Empire architecture. The windows on the first and second floor have ornately molded arched heads above them with shoulders coming down on either side of the window. The windows also have a four-over-four sash and molded sills to match the arched heads. The doors of each row house are not in the center, but sit to the left of each of the houses. The entry to each house has a heavy canopy that is held up by carved piers, decorated with ornately designed consoles. Each of the doors is double paneled. Unlike the other row houses, 545 has all black accents and ornamentation. 

*It is important to note, that out of the four row houses, 545 has been severely deteriorated. Much of the detail of this row house has been lost, including its cornices and slate roof. The porch and steps leading up to the entry of 545 have been replaced. However, the three other row houses remain mostly intact with the original cast iron railings and fences (see gallery for examples). 

Google. Google Maps. http://maps.google.com 

Historic Buildings of Connecticut. Orange St Row Houses, New Haven (1869). http://historicbuildingsct.com/?p=2756.

Hitchcock, Charlotte R. for the State of Connecticut. Historic Resources Inventory: Orange St Area. 1982. 

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

Zillow. 545 Orange St. New Haven, Ct 06511: Public View. 55https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/545-Orange-St-New-Haven-CT-06511/58932558_zpid/.

Zillow. 545 Orange St. New Haven, Ct 06511: Owner’s View. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/545-Orange-St-New-Haven-CT-06511/58932558_zpid/.

Archive Documents

National Register Orange Street Historic District 

Sanborn Maps (1901,1911)