1193 Chapel has one entrance on the street and one side entrance, 1191. The latter is rarely mentioned even though the building historically had multiple retail/residential occupants. The current occupants, Joseph’s Furs, “the furtive furrier,” and Thomas M Brandt Bail Bondsman, use “1193 Chapel” to locate their respective businesses. Joseph’s Furs has resided on Chapel Street since 1909, according to an article in The New Journal, a Yale undergraduate publication, and seems to have shared the wood-frame structure with various other businesses and residents throughout the century, most prominently, doctor’s offices.



From 1907-1913, Stuart Ernest Skiff, MD had a medical practice in the house. He then moved next door to 1194 Chapel. Another doctor, Charles W. Comfort, resided in the house. He served in WW1, performing first aid on the front lines; for this work, he won a medal of honor and an oak leaf. Dr. Comfort acted as Secretary to the Connecticut State Medical Society, around 1920.



The original date of construction varies from source to source. An online appraisal company claims the construction dates to 1900, whereas the current ground floor occupant, Joseph’s Furs, says 1813. A building permit from 1906 describes a “roof change and alterations,” therefore the 1900 date is unlikely. There are no more documented alterations until 1948, when it was re-sided for insulation purposes. Thereafter, the alteration permits relate primarily to the retailer Joseph’s furs and their storefront. In 1954, they officially converted the first floor into a store and built the masonry addition on the front. Ten years later, a fireproof storage vault was constructed in the rear; interior alterations took place a few months later. The storefront was remodeled one last time in 1983, presumably to its current state: brick with aluminum and glass infill.



The fur retailer provides fodder for much speculation and lore among current and past Yale students due to the daily change of furs on pedestals in the storefront coupled with the apparent lack of business and/or owners. (In fact, I have never seen one person enter or exit the store in the last 18 mos.) One can only assume that the unusual circumstances surrounding Joseph’s Furs led to the article to the article, “A Furtive Endeavor,” in The New Journal. In documenting an interview with the owner, Fred Joseph, and his wife, Selma, Jordan Jacks describes the habits of retailers who live in fear of robbery and propagate rumors about the history of the building. It seems that their fur vault, a windowless 1-sotry structure accessed through the back wall of the first floor store was robbed in 1959, following an apparent renovation by Joseph, the younger (his father was the first owner, and apparently bought the house in the “early 20th Century.”) The thieves drilled 86 holes in a weak spot of the vault and stole dozens of furs. This renovation also turned up rumors, as Joseph found feminine items in the walls which led him to believe that it may once have been a brothel. Despite the claim of a 1959 renovation, the permits are not on file. There is, however, documentation of multiple smaller renovations and additions, including the vault and the storefront – the two most identifiable parts of the building as they are appendages to a vernacular wood-frame mansard building and represent of the apparent need for security and privacy in fur retailing.