As the old adage goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Architecturally speaking, it appears, you also can’t judge a building by its facade: at least not the building at 29-45 Broadway in New Haven, CT. Which building? you might ask, and you’d be well within reason. A casual stroll down Broadway today includes passing by the three aesthetically distinct yet proportionally similar edifices that house the retail stores Urban Outfitters, Kixters, Origins and J Crew. Architecturally the three facades could not be more different; one an orange brick front with three arched bays reminiscent of an old urban firehouse, the next an intricate composition of patterned red brick and ionic capped pilasters, and the third a modern storefront of aluminum and glass. And yet, this tripartite arrangement is, literally, hiding something greater than its composite parts might suggest.



The truth, of course, is that these three distinct facades are nothing more than ornamental applications to the front of what is, ultimately, a single building. This clever design solution is the product of a collaboration between Yale University and the Chicago-based firm Hammond, Beeby, Rupert Ainge (HBRA) Architects. Some time between 1999 and early 2000, Yale University embarked on redeveloping a large portion of the Broadway area near the intersection with York Street into an upscale retail cluster suited to the desires of its considerable student population and their stash of (presumably) disposable income. The resultant piece of urban fabric succeeds on two levels. First, rather than imposing one gigantic facade onto the big box behind, HBRA intelligently partitioned the front elevation into the three distinct parts, picking up on the historical scale and rhythm of the existing street. Secondly, each architectural face corresponds to a single (or two smaller in one case) retail store, allowing each design to become a kind of architectural signage associated with the specific tenant that occupies the space behind it. In this way, architecture becomes an aesthetic component of the branding for that specific company.



While the use of three facades on a single building might seem a bit disingenuous, it does create a fairly accurate representation of the history of this New Haven site. According to the series of historical atlases and Sanborn Maps going back as far as 1886, the site currently occupied by the big building with three little facades was historically arrayed with a collection of smaller structures housing a variety of programs, from the private estate of WT Reynolds to paint stores and cigar shops. Though documentation for the site is scarce prior to 1886, the plot was likely home to the small private homes typical of the surrounding area prior to its development into a commercial strip in the 1900s. The 1911 map is indicative of this transition, showing a layout comprised of smaller masonry structures with the wood-framed estate of Mr. Reynolds weaving delicately between them. Jumping ahead to the survey of 1924, a more regularized pattern of parti-wall structures emerges, each with a distinct face which engages the street front along Broadway. While distinct points of entry, these facades created a larger urban wall which operated at the scale of the city itself.



Though the tenancy has undergone extensive turnover in the years between 1924 and 1999 , the relative composition of the built structures remained the same. During a short phase between 1999 and 2001, as Yale was initiating its redevelopment, most of the plots were listed as vacant (likely indicating demolition and construction that led to the current building), although Quality Wine Shop, the tenant occupying 35 Broadway since as early as 1974, seems to have held out as long as possible before relenting to the new wave of construction. Ultimately, of course, Yale succeeded in its attempt to redevelop Broadway and revitalize its reputation as an upscale retail venue. Despite its reincarnation, however, that big building with its many faces still alludes to the long history and scale of the site on which it now sits.