In New Haven’s Chapel West district sits the two buildings profiled here, at the addresses between 1203 and 1227 Chapel Street. These two structures are connected but were built separately, the section abutting Howe street in 1928 (1217-1227), and the other part in 1947 (1203-1215). Upon closer examination, it is obvious that the two were designed by different architects, since the former has an eclectic gothic-inspired feel and the latter a modern, mid-20th-century form. Even so, both edifices replaced single family homes from the 19th century and represented a suburbanization of New Haven’s residents, as people moved further and further from the city’s traditional downtown core. The small strip, with two stories (retail on the bottom and offices on top), allowed from the growing neighborhoods on upper Chapel easier access to simple conveniences, which the buildings’ original lessors provided. The progression of history has meant changes in the makeup of the stores that have occupied the street front windows. Original residents included beauty shops, dentists, a fur shop, an optician, and a drug store. Over time, those merchants were replaced with food providers, including a deli and a candy shop, and, in the 1980s, a Japanese restaurant (now on Howe Street) and a cafe. National chains entered, as well. These details are presented on the right panel. Together, according to the city’s assessor’s office, the buildings are worth well more than a million dollars, which suggests that this section of Chapel Street is on the upswing. In the 1970s - perhaps in replication of the national trend of disinvestment in inner cities - over half of the storefronts in these particular buildings. Today, it is likely that hardship for the buildings’ owner (Schaffer Associates, whose offices are in the later structure) is a relic of the past. But certainly the buildings’ use will change dramatically in the next half century, especially as Yale continues its sprawling growth into the Dixwell neighborhood. The University’s new sculpture building’s construction cranes frame these 20th century edifices, and make them seem smaller than they might have appeared in the past. Yale’s expansion means that New Haven’s central business district has extended its tendrils this far up Chapel Street, and it is unclear whether or not these buildings will soon outlive their usefulness. It is probably only a matter of time before Yale concludes that the land is too valuable for such a small shopping strip as the one described here.

Past owner: Eld Realty Incorporated