Downtown New Haven
Encyclopedia
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. It is made up of the original nine squares laid out in 1638 to form New Haven, including the New Haven Green
New Haven Green
The New Haven Green is a privately owned park and recreation area located in the downtown district of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It comprises the central square of the nine-square settlement plan of the original Puritan colonists in New Haven, and was designed and surveyed by colonist...
, and the immediate surrounding central business district, as well as a significant portion of the Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
campus. The area includes many restaurants, cafes, theaters and stores. Downtown is bordered by Wooster Square
Wooster Square
Wooster Square is a neighborhood in the city of New Haven, Connecticut to the east of downtown. The name refers to a park square located between Greene Street, Wooster Place, Chapel Street and Academy Street in the center of the neighborhood...
to the east, Long Wharf
Long Wharf (New Haven)
Long Wharf is a waterfront district and neighborhood of the city of New Haven, Connecticut, United States.-Location:Its location can be defined as the area stretching inland from the west side of New Haven Harbor northwest to Union Avenue, west to Hallock Avenue and Cedar Street, and north to the...
to the southeast, the Hill neighborhood to the south, the Dwight neighborhood to the west, the Dixwell
Dixwell (New Haven)
Dixwell is a neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut. Named for Dixwell Avenue, the main thoroughfare of the neighborhood which in turn was named for regicide judge John Dixwell, it is situated generally northwest of and adjacent to Downtown New Haven....
neighborhood to the northwest, the Prospect Hill
Prospect Hill (New Haven)
Prospect Hill is a neighborhood of the city of New Haven, Connecticut located in the north central portion of the city, directly north of Downtown New Haven. The neighborhood contains residences, institutional buildings of Albertus Magnus University and a portion of the main campus of Yale...
area to the north, and East Rock
East Rock (neighborhood)
East Rock is a neighborhood in the city of New Haven, Connecticut, named for nearby East Rock, a prominent trap rock ridge. The area is home to a large group of Yale students, staff, and faculty, as well as many young professionals and families. The neighborhood is divided between New Haven's...
to the northeast.
Downtown New Haven is one of the most residential downtown areas in the United States, with nearly 7,000 inhabitants. The expansion of housing options in recent years has helped support downtown businesses and has brought about a surge in economic activity. Secondary streets and areas at the periphery of the neighborhood that once contained vacant storefronts are now almost entirely leased to restaurants and retailers, and the office vacancy rate has seen a drastic improvement as well.
Notable sites
- Center Church on the Green Crypt, the best-preserved burial ground in the country (because it lies underneath a church), with gravestones dating back to the mid-17th century that include numerous colonial luminaries.
- Chapel Street Historic DistrictChapel Street Historic DistrictThe Chapel Street Historic District is a historic district in the Downtown New Haven area of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984...
, an area southwest of the Green containing many shops, restaurants, night clubs, bars, art museums, theaters, and book stores. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and includes areas along Crown Street. - Criterion Cinemas, a seven-screen movie theater showing first-run and international films.
- Grove Street Cemetery
- Harkness TowerHarkness TowerHarkness Tower is a prominent Collegiate Gothic structure at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States.The tower was constructed between 1917 and 1921 as part of the Memorial Quadrangle donated to Yale by Anna M. Harkness in honor of her recently deceased son, Charles William...
- Knights of Columbus Building
- Louis' LunchLouis' LunchLouis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, advertises itself as the first restaurant to serve hamburgers and as being the oldest hamburger restaurant still operating in the U.S. Opened as a small lunch wagon in 1895, Louis' Lunch was also one of the first places in the U.S...
Oldest hamburger restaurant still operating in U.S. - New Haven City Hall
- New Haven County CourthouseNew Haven County CourthouseThe New Haven County Courthouse is located in the Downtown section of New Haven, Connecticut. The building was built in 1917 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 16, 2003....
- New Haven Free Public LibraryNew Haven Free Public LibraryThe New Haven Free Public Library is the public library system serving New Haven, Connecticut.The system began in 1887 in a leased location but quickly outgrew its space. The Ives Memorial Library is the main branch of the system and is located on the New Haven Green. The neo-Georgian building...
- New Haven GreenNew Haven GreenThe New Haven Green is a privately owned park and recreation area located in the downtown district of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It comprises the central square of the nine-square settlement plan of the original Puritan colonists in New Haven, and was designed and surveyed by colonist...
- Ninth Square Historic DistrictNinth Square Historic DistrictThe Ninth Square Historic District in New Haven, Connecticut is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984...
, an NRHP-listed area of historic 19th and early 20th century commercial buildings, directly southeast of the Green. The area is also a special taxing district. - Omni Hotel, a four-star high-rise hotel.
- Shubert TheatreShubert Theatre (New Haven)The Shubert Theatre is a 1600-seat theatre located at 247 College Street in New Haven, Connecticut. Originally opened in 1914, it was designed by Albert Swazey, a New York architect and built by the H.E. Murdock Construction Company...
- Toad's PlaceToad's PlaceToad's Place is a concert venue and nightclub in New Haven, Connecticut, with two other short lived locations in Waterbury, CT and Richmond, VA.-History:...
(officially within the Dixwell neighborhood) - Yale Center for British ArtYale Center for British ArtThe Yale Center for British Art is an art museum in New Haven, Connecticut at Yale University which houses the most comprehensive collection of British Art outside the United Kingdom...
- Yale Repertory TheatreYale Repertory TheatreThe Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of the Yale School of Drama in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented students. In the process it has become one of the...
- Yale University Art GalleryYale University Art GalleryThe Yale University Art Gallery houses a significant and encyclopedic collection of art in several buildings on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Although it embraces all cultures and periods, the Gallery possesses especially renowned collections of early Italian painting,...
- Yale University's Old CampusOld CampusThe Old Campus is a complex of buildings at Yale University on the block at the northwest end of the green in New Haven, Connecticut, consisting of dormitories, classrooms, chapels and offices...
Notable sites of the past
- Chapel Square MallChapel Square MallThe Chapel Square Mall was a shopping mall in downtown New Haven, Connecticut. It was one of the first fully enclosed air-conditioned downtown malls in the United States; it has now been converted into apartments.-Creation:...
(1967–2002). Now converted to luxury apartments; the first indoor shopping mall in the country to be converted as such. - College Street Cinema
- College (Hyperion) Theater (1880–1998)
- The Edw. Malley Co.The Edw. Malley Co.The Edw. Malley Co., often abbreviated Malley's, was a prestigious department store in Downtown New Haven, Connecticut, from 1852 to 1982. Company produced postcards promoted the establishment as "The Metropolitan Store of Connecticut"...
(1852–1982). Demolished in 1997 and scheduled for replacement by Gateway Community CollegeGateway Community CollegeGateway Community College is a public community college located in Connecticut. The college maintains two campuses: one in New Haven and one in North Haven. As of February 17, 2010, Gateway had the 1st highest credit enrollment among Connecticut's community colleges, with 6987 students enrolled...
. - Kresge's. Converted into a parking garage.
- Macy'sMacy'sMacy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
. Demolished in 2007. Scheduled for replacement by Gateway Community College. - New Haven ArenaNew Haven ArenaNew Haven Arena was an indoor arena on Grove Street in New Haven, Connecticut, that served as a venue for ice hockey, concerts, and circuses.The first arena opened in 1914 but burned down in 1924...
(1914–1924, 1926-1972?) - New Haven ColiseumNew Haven ColiseumThe New Haven Coliseum was a sports-entertainment arena located in downtown New Haven, Connecticut. Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1972...
(1972–2007). Razed and filled with a parking lot. - Shartenberg's Department StoreShartenberg's Department StoreShartenberg's Department Store was a six-floor department store located at 765-777 Chapel Street in Downtown New Haven, Connecticut, designed in the neoclassical style. In 2007, it was ranked among the "landmark consumer paradises" of New Haven's past, along with The Edw. Malley Co., Macy's, and...
(1915–1962). Razed in 1964 as part of Mayor Richard C. LeeRichard C. LeeRichard Charles Lee was a Democrat and a longtime Mayor of New Haven and the youngest when he held the position in 1954 at age 37. Lee is best known for his leading role in urban redevelopment in the 1950s and '60s.-Biography:Richard Charles Lee was born on March 12, 1916...
's redevelopment plans. For many years a parking lot, the site has been replaced by 360 State Street360 State Street360 State Street is the second-tallest building in New Haven, Connecticut, and the largest apartment building in the state. The tall mixed-use modernist building, completed in 2010, includes 500 luxury apartments which sit on top of of retail space...
, a mixed-use development of high-rise condominiums, offices and apartments. - York Square CinemaYork Square CinemaYork Square Cinema is a former art house cinema located in Downtown New Haven, Connecticut, USA. The York Square was built in 1970. It housed three separate movie theaters in a renovation that connected several old buildings...
(1970–2005)
See also
- Oak Street ConnectorOak Street ConnectorThe Oak Street Connector, officially known as the Richard C. Lee Highway, is a long freeway section of Route 34 that is located in downtown New Haven, Connecticut...
- Link to current Downtown New Haven framework plan for development and discussion