Union and New Haven Trust Building
Encyclopedia
The Union and New Haven Trust Building, also known as 205 Church Street, is a Georgian-Colonial Revival skyscraper
in New Haven, Connecticut
. Constructed in 1927, it was designed by architects Cross and Cross
. The building sits on the northeast corner of the historic New Haven Green
.
Built for the Union and New Haven Trust Co. during the Roaring Twenties
, the building was designed to reflect the architecture of the Green and its three historic churches; the building's golden cupola
intentionally mirrors that of the Green's United Church. The Union Trust Company moved its headquarters to Stamford in 1981, but kept a branch on the ground floor. The bank was purchased in 1995 by First Union Corporation
, which later took the name of its Wachovia
acquisition and in 2010 merged into Wells Fargo
. The building's ground floor is still occupied by a Wells Fargo branch, but the upper floors have been vacant since a law firm left in 2008.
A real estate
company is considering converting the now-iconic building into a 150 to 180-room luxury hotel, complete with four restaurants and retail space. The company and the City of New Haven are currently negotiating the construction of a 600-800 car parking garage on a lot between State and Wall streets for the would-be hotel.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in New Haven, 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...
. Constructed in 1927, it was designed by architects Cross and Cross
Cross and Cross (Architects)
Cross and Cross was a New York City based architectural firm founded by brothers John Walter Cross and Eliot Cross.-History:Cross and Cross was known as Old New York City Society's architectural firm of choice...
. The building sits on the northeast corner of the historic 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...
.
History
Lying on the corner of Elm and Church streets, the site the Union and New Haven Trust is built on was the site of the home of Richard Perry in the 1640s, who served as secretary to the General Court of the Colony of New Haven.Built for the Union and New Haven Trust Co. during the Roaring Twenties
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London, Berlin and Paris for a period of sustained economic prosperity. The phrase was meant to emphasize the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism...
, the building was designed to reflect the architecture of the Green and its three historic churches; the building's golden cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
intentionally mirrors that of the Green's United Church. The Union Trust Company moved its headquarters to Stamford in 1981, but kept a branch on the ground floor. The bank was purchased in 1995 by First Union Corporation
First Union Corporation
First Union Corporation was a banking company providing commercial and retail banking services in eleven states in the eastern U.S. First Union also provided various other financial services, including mortgage banking, credit card, investment banking , investment advisory, home equity lending,...
, which later took the name of its Wachovia
Wachovia
Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on total assets...
acquisition and in 2010 merged into Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
. The building's ground floor is still occupied by a Wells Fargo branch, but the upper floors have been vacant since a law firm left in 2008.
Future
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
company is considering converting the now-iconic building into a 150 to 180-room luxury hotel, complete with four restaurants and retail space. The company and the City of New Haven are currently negotiating the construction of a 600-800 car parking garage on a lot between State and Wall streets for the would-be hotel.