Temple Court

Temple Court as it stands today is a mixed use development that spans much of the block between Temple Street and Whitney Avenue to the East and West, and Grove and Trumbull Streets to the South and North. Temple Court, refers to the complex of three-floor and single unit condominium residences that are at the center of the complex, while Whitney-Grove Square is the name used to refer to the entire development. This investigation focuses on the development from the Temple Street side, and looks into the integration of the brown stone style new condominiums with the older brownstones still standing on the street. On September 22. 1784. the City of New Haven formally named Temple Street, delineating its location and marking its width at fifty feet. At that time, the street had no buildings on it, running as it did through the estates of several prominent New Haven citizens. Over the next eighty- five years, the street slowly grew. At points along the way, as in 1862, the numbering along the street was changed to allow for more buildings. Then, in 1870, the first major documented construction occurred. Nelson C. Newgeon erected six brick rowhouses, all in the same style. at numbers 387- 395 Temple Street. According to documents in the White Brothers' Files at Sterling Memorial Library Manuscripts and Archives, Newgeon sold each of these houses to its original owner between the years o f 1871 and 1874. The houses remained privately owned, single-family homes until the early 20' century, when they became dormitory housing for the Sheffield Science School. A part o f Yale College, the Sheff' School, as it was familiarly known, housed those students interested in the sciences. A 1925 directory suggests that numbers 393-397 arc Mrs. Beda Skousgaard's Boarding House-this information seems to contradict what is above, although only in the case of two of the dwelling units. It is possible that in one or the other location, the numbering is mistaken, or else that Mrs Skousgaard was related to Yale and ran the Sheff School dormitories.



At that same time, the buildings surrounding these six begin to see a more mixed use. While the block had been primarily residences with some light industry on the corner previously, by it boasted the Elm City Flower Shop at number 383, and Sheff Shoppe Lunch at number 381. These commercial establishments sprung up in response to, and in service of, the Sheff School students living on the block. In 1935, the next major change on the street takes place. Numbers 387-395 are sold to Yale in this rear. The next year, Yale demolishes a USl dwelling to make way for a ground level parking lot. This plot of land remains in Yale's hands and as a functioning parking lot, occasionally including a gas station, until the development which brings it to its present day incarnation. In 1979. the realtor H. Pearce and Yale University began consideration of redevelopment of the Whitney-Grove area. Four years later in 1983, the official proposal was for a Planned Development District in that area [0 be called ''Whitney-Grove Square. The key players in the development project were Herbert S. Newman, the architects, and H. Pearce and Carley Capital Group who were co-developers. Their proposal recommended creating a mixed use district out of the 2.5 acre site that would include residential, office, and retail spaces, as well as a parking lot. And indeed the final development did include all of these pieces. The parking lot sits under the residences of Temple Court on the Temple Street side, while retail sits on the bottom floors of the residences that from Whitney and the office building on the corner of Whitney and Grove. The residences themselves consist of 27 full townhouse units and 16 flats. In the written proposal, both the economic and aesthetic benefits of the project are highlighted. The proposal claims that the development with favorable assist with the creation of the Audobon Arts district, and that it will in a profit of $255,000 annually. The proposal notes that me townhouses are developed in two sections, the first being those intended fill the gap in the Temple Street facade, the second being those in an interior court. The proposal notes that the architectural detailing with make an effort to fit in style and elegance with the 1870s era townhouses that remain along Temple Street. It says the Temple Street townhouses will continue the fine masonry material, window and door detailing across me site. From visiting the site. I would agree with the developers assessment that the development assists in the creation of a unified Audobon Arts district. This is true in large part because Herbert Newman is the architect responsible for both developments, so there is a strong continuity.



I do not, however, believe that either the window or door detailing matches with the older townhouses-far from it. Indeed it is the windows that, for me, cause this development to fail from an aesthetic perspective, and to fail in the creation of a truly individualized, residential feeling. The windows are all square or close to square, and consists of single large panes of glass, with the exception square windows made up of four smaller square panes of glass. More than anything, if is the dimensioning of these windows that makes them feel our of place on a residential building. These square windows that show up on the residences are the same as those on the office building at the comer of Whitney and Grove. Because one can see the office building from the interior of Temple Court, it is impossible not to notice this relationship, and impossible therefore not to be constantly aware that the Temple Court dwellings are part of a larger, essentially corporate development. In concert with the entryway porticoes, which reference the porticoes of the older townhouses but have a similarly corporate and mass-produced feel and the stair railings, which lack the hand-wrought and decorated feel of older railings, the windows cause Temple Court to feel like just another development rather than like a unique home setting. Despite its aesthetic shortcomings, Temple Court provides dwellings well suited to the needs of its residents. The two residents I spoke with both appreciated the development for its ability to create a sense of privacy, and safety while still providing one of the best central downtown locations available in New Haven.