990 State Street, New Haven, CT

This early 20th-century brick two-story commercial-residential building on the corner of Edwards Street and State Street is home to eight storefronts on the ground level and seven multifamily apartment units on the second level. Since its creation in 1922, this Brown and von Beren building in the upper State Street district has changed hands regularly. In the 1920s, dentists, tailors, milliners, dressmakers, and grocers set up shop in the building. As New Haven’s economy evolved, so did this commercial space. In the 60s, electric companies occupied the building, and through the 60s and 70s, various antiques shops sprang up as New Haven’s vibrant antiques scene moved into the upper State Street district. Today, the space is home to a wine bar, restaurants, an accounting practice, a gift shop, a pet supplies store, and an art gallery.

From an 1886 Sanborn map, there is a one-story frame dwelling on the lot that will become the site of the George Ratner building (Insurance). On Edwards Street, the dwelling is next to a 2 ½-story frame dwelling and Steam Fire Engine No. 8, renamed Engine House No. 8 in the 1888 Sanborn map. The majority of the land around this site is occupied by similar frame dwellings, although we see the Elm City Dye Works and Laundry masonry building at the intersection of Mechanic, Lawrence, and State, as well as the New Haven Cement Pipe Manufactory on the corner of Nash and Lawrence. The 1901 Sanborn map shows no changes at the building site. On a 1911 map, the single frame dwelling has been labeled “Chas. Wirtz.” From the 1911 New Haven city directory, we see Charles B Wirtz listed under cigar manufacturers. In 1889, cigar manufacturing is lauded as being “closely identified with the growth and progress of New Haven” (McKinney). In the 1924 Sanborn map, the George Ratner building has been constructed, divided into three storefronts on Edwards St, four on State Street, and one on the corner. The dwelling at 13 Edwards remains, but now there is a cigar manufacturing building behind it. Interestingly, the original 1924 map does not show 7 Edwards Street, but later paste-overs include it. The paste-overs also reveal that the original wood in the back of the building has been replaced by iron. A stone building for awning manufacturing also appears at 11 Edwards Street, and the cigar manufacturing building in the back is converted into a tin shop. A small frame building labeled “Trucks” also appears next to the tin shop. It is unclear exactly when these changes occurred, as the paste-overs were added between 1924-1956. The 1973 Sanborn map labels 992 State Street as “Used Furniture”, as well as 996-998 State Street. This supplements our knowledge of the tenants that year, and also leads me to hypothesize that storeowners leased both 996 and 998, which is why 998 disappears from the city directories for so many years. Today, 996 and 998 are occupied by separate tenants.

When the building first opens in 1922, it is home to a dentist, a pair of tailors, and a grocery (Ancestry.com). The majority of the units are vacant, suggesting that this is a speculative commercial building. Through the 1920s, the dentist and grocery stay, the original tailors are replaced by another tailor, a milliner, dressmaker, and various hairdressers join, and we begin to see the second-floor residential units being filled. In 1924, the famous Polos Bros confectionery opens, where it remains until 1957, although it is later known as Polo’s Ice Cream Co. From the late 20s into the early 30s, we begin to see storefront vacancies, although they are eventually filled in the second half of the 30s. The grocers remain until 1933, residential tenants move in and out, and we see an electrical contractor, plumbers, and cleaners move in to the commercial spaces, giving the building a more industrial character. Interestingly, after the grocery closes, 998 State Street is left out of city directories until 1991. In the 40s, beauty salons, package stores, and a restaurant open. On the Edwards Street facade, we see the vacancy of 5 Edwards Street and 9 Edwards Street from the late 40s into most of the 50s. Residents agree that upper State Street in general begins to decline in the 50s, even before I91 is built, as more middle-class and upper-class families move into the suburbs (Inside New Haven). When I91 appears, it wipes out much of the residential area east of State Street, and many State Street merchants cannot stay in business because of the reduced commercial demand. In the 60s, store units are occupied by electric, utility, trucking, and roofing companies. Interestingly, on the State Street side, State Antiques appears in 1961, replaced by Mayflower Antiques in 1963, which remains until 1968. During this time, we also see used clothing and furniture stores pop up. From the 70s-90s, we see a proliferation of antiques shops. In 1978 for example, three antique stores sit side-by-side on the State Street side, with another on the Edwards Street side. During the 70s, however, we see a high number of residential vacancies. During the late 70s, residents of this broader area face high levels of break-ins and other crime, and it is also during this time that the city targets upper State Street as a district to undergo revitalization. Moving into the 2000s, we see a few financial and real estate firms move in, although much of the original character of the artisanal store is preserved, in the form of a tiny wine bar, a unique art gallery, and a specialty gift shop, for example. There is a brief time in which 5 Edwards St is a place of worship for the Saint Joseph Independent Catholic Church, but no changes are made to the exterior facade. The space is used as a small gathering place without the infrastructure and ornamentation we associate with churches. In addition, from tenant information we observe a diverse mix of ethnicities over time, serving as a microcosm of the upper State Street district at large, which has prominent Polish and Italian communities, in addition to other immigrant groups (Inside New Haven).

The George Ratner building is a structure within the upper State Street district, an important commercial center of New Haven outside of the original nine-square grid that arose in response to growing residential neighborhoods, which themselves arose in response to New Haven’s growing industrial power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Upper State Street borders I91, which was constructed during the city’s urban renewal and redevelopment program in the 1950s and 60s (United). Around this time, the district experienced decline as families moved to the suburbs and large supermarkets became more popular than the independent stores like those of 990-998 State Street. Furthermore, I91 drew traffic away from upper State Street, contributing to the deterioration of the commercial district (United). Beginning in the late 70s, upper State Street underwent significant rebuilding and revitalization (Inside New Haven).

This is an early 20th-century commercial/residential building. It is 90’ wide by 90’ deep, with a cut stone and brick foundation and a brick façade that wraps around the corner of Edwards Street and State Street (Connecticut). We read the building as two horizontal layers, separated by a limestone trim, underneath which we see a continuous pattern of horizontal bricks sandwiched between vertical bricks. The ground level storefronts have display windows in white frames divided by white muntins, resulting in a grid design. The white paint was a 2015-2016 addition, prior to which the frames and muntins were a dark green color. 990 State Street is particularly interesting in that its entrance is on the chamfered corner, which sits on both streets, so it has a much wider display window than the other stores do. The actual entrances of the stores, however, are recessed. The blue-colored doors are a 2015-2016 addition. Above the residential windows on the upper level, we see raised brick and limestone detailing, ornamentation characteristic of Brown and von Beren in New Haven at the time (United). The roof is flat with a decorative parapet and limestone trim.

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. New Haven, CT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Inside New Haven’s Neighborhoods. New Haven, The City of New Haven, 1982.

Insurance Maps of New Haven, Connecticut. Sanborn Map and Publishing Co, 1886.

Insurance Maps of New Haven, Connecticut. Sanborn Map and Publishing Co, 1888.

Insurance Maps of New Haven, Connecticut. Sanborn-Perris Map Co, 1901.

Insurance Maps of New Haven, Connecticut. Sanborn Map Company, 1911.

Insurance Maps of New Haven, Connecticut. Sanborn Map Company, 1924.

Insurance Maps of New Haven, Connecticut. Sanborn Map Company, 1973.

McKinney, James P. The Industrial Advantages of the City of New Haven, Conn. New Haven, James P. McKinney, 1889.

United States. National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form. 1984. Print.

Connecticut. Historical Commission. Historic Resources Inventory. Hartford: Connecticut Historical Commission. Print.