Sanborn 1886 Map:
1879 Bird's Eye View:
26 and 28 Elm Street
Status: Demolished, 1930s?
Built For: Russel Wheeler (26) and Obadiah Pease (28), 1850s
There's not a whole lot of information on these two small Italianates, which were nearly identical. both were stuccoed and had a full porch running across the front with Temple of the Winds columns. The two owners were not necessarily the builders, but they were early occupants. The corner of 28 can be seen here.
30 Elm Street
Status: Heavily Altered
Built For: St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 1855
This address actually contained two buildings, St. Thomas Episcopal Church and the rectory next door. The church itself was built of brownstone in a rather plain style of English Gothic. Even the tracery is as simple as it can get. Nonetheless, the building had a strong presence. This church has a lot of wall, especially because the architect chose to use thin lancet windows on the sides rather than wider windows that might have broken up the façade more. Additionally, the lack of horizontality on the tower very much increases the verticality of the design. An interesting feature is the slope of the roof, which changes angles visibly from the front, creating a slightly barn-like profile. With all its sparseness, the crenellations and spires on the top of the tower are surprisingly thin and delicate, giving some relief from the weight of the rest of the design.
The parish house, which can be seen here, was a typical three bay Greek Revival design with a roof balustrade, Ionic portico (with a rather heavy entablature), and brownstone lintels. posHowever, a delightful tent roof porch faces the church, held up by delicate lattice posts. As can be seen in the postcard image, the house was engulfed in foliage. I'm somewhat of the mind that the house is earlier than the church, probably the 1840s. The house was demolished in the 1940s.
The church moved to their current sanctuary on Whitney Avenue in the 1930s and the church was sold. The tower was demolished and a late Art Deco/International Style façade added. It is currently (though not for long) a bank. One wonders why they didn't tear the whole building down but left the gabled roofline poking out!
Built For: St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 1855
This address actually contained two buildings, St. Thomas Episcopal Church and the rectory next door. The church itself was built of brownstone in a rather plain style of English Gothic. Even the tracery is as simple as it can get. Nonetheless, the building had a strong presence. This church has a lot of wall, especially because the architect chose to use thin lancet windows on the sides rather than wider windows that might have broken up the façade more. Additionally, the lack of horizontality on the tower very much increases the verticality of the design. An interesting feature is the slope of the roof, which changes angles visibly from the front, creating a slightly barn-like profile. With all its sparseness, the crenellations and spires on the top of the tower are surprisingly thin and delicate, giving some relief from the weight of the rest of the design.
The parish house, which can be seen here, was a typical three bay Greek Revival design with a roof balustrade, Ionic portico (with a rather heavy entablature), and brownstone lintels. posHowever, a delightful tent roof porch faces the church, held up by delicate lattice posts. As can be seen in the postcard image, the house was engulfed in foliage. I'm somewhat of the mind that the house is earlier than the church, probably the 1840s. The house was demolished in the 1940s.
The church moved to their current sanctuary on Whitney Avenue in the 1930s and the church was sold. The tower was demolished and a late Art Deco/International Style façade added. It is currently (though not for long) a bank. One wonders why they didn't tear the whole building down but left the gabled roofline poking out!
36-46 Elm Street
Status: Demolished, 1940s
Built For: Joseph Sheppard, 1869
This was one of several series of speculative rows built in a heavy Italianate manner in New Haven. Unlike other cities where row houses could fill entire blocks, New Haven never got into the habit of densely filling up their streets with row houses. They were brownstone with pediments resting on brackets and had a particularly rich cornice line. The houses were extremely tall for a New Haven row, being almost a full five stories. it is clear from images that their roofline somewhat dwarfed the church. These were demolished like the rest of the block in the 1930s-40s. The site is currently a highrise. The row can be seen here.
Built For: Joseph Sheppard, 1869
This was one of several series of speculative rows built in a heavy Italianate manner in New Haven. Unlike other cities where row houses could fill entire blocks, New Haven never got into the habit of densely filling up their streets with row houses. They were brownstone with pediments resting on brackets and had a particularly rich cornice line. The houses were extremely tall for a New Haven row, being almost a full five stories. it is clear from images that their roofline somewhat dwarfed the church. These were demolished like the rest of the block in the 1930s-40s. The site is currently a highrise. The row can be seen here.
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