The first recorded activity on the block on the East Side of the intersection of College Street and South Frontage Road was the presence of several small stores in 1886. Throughout much of the twentieth century, the block was a center for commercial activity.



In 1924, the plot that is now home to 35-57 College Street, known collectively as 35 College Street or the College Plaza Building, was home to a collection of small, densely packed factories on a commercial block filled with stores, a synagogue, and a few dwellings and flats. In this same year, plans were finalized for the Sterling Hall of Medicine at the Yale Medical School on the block opposite this one.



The two story 35 College Street was later built in 1957. The oldest found record on this building comes from 1974, when a uniform and book store secured a permit to make repairs to their shop at 45 College Street. Five years later in 1979, there is record of the same book and uniform store submitting a permit to move into a vacant store at the same address. While this small oddity could be attributed to a number of causes, it is possible that the center was unsuccessful for a time and later regained momentum in the late 70s.



In 1978, a firm by the name of Barrows and Wallace acquired a permit to install advertising, suggesting that by this point, the center was very commercial and that its tenants saw tending to their stores on this lot as a profitable investment.



Moving ahead into 1981, Domino’s Pizza moved in to replace what was being used as a health foods store at 43 College Street. Six years later, an establishment by the name of Dilligad Deli (see Figure 2 for plan) was transforming this former take-out space into a sit-down restaurant by installing counters at tables in the space. Notable here is that even while the occupant of this space changes, the building use remains constant.



By 1989 there is a growth in the number of tenants as the former book and uniform store is dismantled and converted into ten different stores on the first floor with offices on the second. Although the strip itself was mixed use from the 1970s on, this is the first time that one parcel in the center adopts this modern arrangement. The creation of these offices marks the first move in a series to shift of use of 35 College Street.



William Vishno, a lawyer and important figure in the history of 35 College Street, leased a property he then owned, 37 College Street, to Yale Facilities Management for office space in 1989, marking the beginning of his gradual take-over of most of the plaza. In 1990, Vishno converts retail stores at 53 College Street into a law office that he will occupy. A year later, 47 College Street becomes a two-story mixed use residential, retail, and office space, but Vishno continues his acquisition of properties in this strip when he gains propriety of 51 College Street around the same time. Perhaps it is because of this building’s proximity to the Sterling Hall of Medicine and other Yale Medical School buildings as well as Yale’s noted interest in their space (Yale Facilities Management building occupation) that Vishno continues to purchase these addresses.



Finally in November of 1995, the building was bought and occupied by Yale University and became the “College Plaza Building.” After several structural alterations, such as making the building basement handicapped accessible and adding two exterior side towers to the existing structure, the building was converted in 1996 from its then use of office space on the second floor, mercantile on the first floor, and storage in the basement to a lobby and elevator on the second floor, offices, a library, and a student lounge on the first floor, and Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health space in the basement.



Today, the building functions entirely as office space for the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health. What began as an extension of commerce onto the other side of North Frontage Road became a booming commercial strip that was then gradually bought out by entrepreneur William Vishno and eventually sold to Yale University, essentially shifting the building’s use. 35 College Street used to be a conglomeration of different businesses, and at times residents and offices. Now it is one complex, under one name—College Plaza Building. Perhaps it is the building’s adaptability, like those of the row houses on Court Street, that has contributed to its ability to remain an integral part of the urban landscape. Or perhaps it’s the building’s proximity to the Yale Medical School. It is also possible that this change in use is symbolic of a change in the leading economic sector in New Haven, from small business to institutes of Higher Education and Medical Institutions (Eds and Meds). Whatever the case, this building has remained an important piece of the New Haven urban fabric and will likely continue to do so for years to come.



Despite my research, I was disappointed to have a gap between 1957 and 1973 for this building. Upon consulting with my boss from the summer at the Chamber of Commerce, we were able to locate the Redevelopment Plan for the Oak Street Redevelopment Area, which includes my building, 37-55 College Street. The plan was adopted in 1955 and according to this document at the time of print, was amended nine times through September of 1973. The block designated “Block I,” contained my building and was designated for commercial use. The standards for development on Block I were set to include a “minimum setback of fifteen feet from all lot lines,” and very strict rules on signage. Building use was also designated. The document stated that the only permissible uses for the space would be as professional offices, and limited retail use. Goals of this plan included elimination of high crime incidence and provision of easier access to the hospital through a sound area rather than a substandard one. While apart from recognizing that in 1973 a bank and a number of stores occupied the “College Plaza Building,” it remains unclear how the building was being used between 1957 and 1973. However, given this Redevelopment Plan, one might assume that perhaps the building’s tenants were not succeeding, leaving the area one in need of refurbishment to reaffirm the dignity of the area.