Original Post, 4/14/08: The New Haven Register reports today on plans to resurrect the fire-damaged building at 91 Church Street. The photos at left were taken December 17th, a few days after the fire ravaged the interior of the block (click on them for a close-up). For more information on potential ideas for how to rebuild that section, also see this New Haven Independent article on George Knight's presentation to Wine Dine Design.
Knight: Blaze New Street Through Ashes
"The plan for 91 Church St., only a portion of which escaped the wrecking ball following the Dec. 12 blaze, is in its formative stages, but owner Paul Denz has indicated he is committed to renovating what’s left."
"He has some rough architectural drawings to overhaul the space for two retail businesses, one at street level and the other in the basement, and about four apartments on the upper floors."
"Scott Healy, executive director of the New Haven Downtown [Town Green] Special Services District, which promotes the area’s image and business community, said that section of Church Street, with retail on both sides, is key to the city’s vitality."
Aside from its effect on retail continuity, retaining this building is important because it is a key part of the street wall along Church Street, which creates a sense of security and enclosure - an urban "living room." The Church Street corridor is a major gateway into Downtown New Haven.
The property, which prior to the fire contained a retail operation on the first floor and a beautiful abandoned ballroom on the second floor, is threatened not just because of the cost of renovation, but also because it would be a potentially convenient place to create an access lane for deliveries into the center of the block, which will most likely be rebuilt in the near future.
Update 3/10/09: The site owner is apparently preparing to rebuild the structure on Church Street, and convert part of the remainder of the site into a "temporary" parking lot. According to an article in the New Haven Register on February 16, a floor will be added to the top of the existing building at 91 Church:
Denz said architectural drawings are complete and ready for review by city departments. While permits for that phase of the project, which will cost about $1 million, have not been pulled yet, Denz does have a building permit to complete an initial phase — closing in the rear of the 91 Church St. building, the rear of which was ripped down during demolition. That work was expected to cost $175,000. Denz said that work should start in the next month or two.
As the presenters and attendees of last spring's Wine Dine Design presentation (linked to above) suggested, there would many concerns about converting the remainder of the land into a temporary parking lot. Any new curb cuts required for the interim lot could have a significant negative impact on a dense pedestrian district. Gap-toothed parking lots, which are already far too prevalent within Downtown New Haven, also tend to reduce land values, reduce 24-hour activity, have a negative impact on retail, increase area traffic speeds, and impact safety. Given current economic realities, the new lot may not get developed for a long period of time, even though it sits across from the 360 State Street development. According to the City's development czar, Kelly Murphy:
“The interim parking I hope is interim. In the short term, I understand. I hope in the long term, in the medium term, that it’s not going to be a parking lot forever. It’s not the best use for a downtown site, especially on a block so close to a major development project."
Update 3/10/09: The site owner is apparently preparing to rebuild the structure on Church Street, and convert part of the remainder of the site into a "temporary" parking lot. According to an article in the New Haven Register on February 16, a floor will be added to the top of the existing building at 91 Church:
Denz said architectural drawings are complete and ready for review by city departments. While permits for that phase of the project, which will cost about $1 million, have not been pulled yet, Denz does have a building permit to complete an initial phase — closing in the rear of the 91 Church St. building, the rear of which was ripped down during demolition. That work was expected to cost $175,000. Denz said that work should start in the next month or two.
As the presenters and attendees of last spring's Wine Dine Design presentation (linked to above) suggested, there would many concerns about converting the remainder of the land into a temporary parking lot. Any new curb cuts required for the interim lot could have a significant negative impact on a dense pedestrian district. Gap-toothed parking lots, which are already far too prevalent within Downtown New Haven, also tend to reduce land values, reduce 24-hour activity, have a negative impact on retail, increase area traffic speeds, and impact safety. Given current economic realities, the new lot may not get developed for a long period of time, even though it sits across from the 360 State Street development. According to the City's development czar, Kelly Murphy:
“The interim parking I hope is interim. In the short term, I understand. I hope in the long term, in the medium term, that it’s not going to be a parking lot forever. It’s not the best use for a downtown site, especially on a block so close to a major development project."
Update 6/17/2011: According to reporting in the New Haven Independent, the City and developer have settled legal issues related to the 91 Church Street structure. Preservation of the historic exterior, and interior development of apartments and commercial space will now begin.The parking lot will remain as surface parking for the foreseeable future, opening possibilities that it can be partially converted into a new street (the yellow-shaded area in the aerial photo above shows where). Returning to the smaller blocks that were once prevalent in the area would dramatically raise real estate values and promote walkability.
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