Wooster Square

Last updated
Wooster Square
Neighborhood of New Haven
Wooster Street New Haven (72130).jpg
Wooster Street archway decorated with an Cherry Blossom tree, a symbol of New Haven
New Haven map - Wooster Square.png
Wooster Square within New Haven
Coordinates: 41°18′14″N72°55′05″W / 41.304°N 72.918°W / 41.304; -72.918
Country United States
State Connecticut
City New Haven

Wooster Square is a neighborhood in the city of New Haven, Connecticut, to the east of downtown. [1] The name refers to a park square (named for the American Revolutionary War hero, David Wooster) located between Greene Street, Wooster Place, Chapel Street and Academy Street in the center of the neighborhood. Wooster Square is also known as Little Italy: a bastion of Italian American culture and cuisine, and is home to some of New Haven's (and the country's), best-known pizza (specifically, apizza) eateries, including Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and Sally's Apizza. The square and much of the neighborhood are included in the Wooster Square Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Contents

An annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Wooster Square Park commemorates the planting of 72 Yoshino Japanese cherry blossom trees in 1973 by the New Haven Historic Commission in collaboration with the New Haven Parks Department and neighborhood residents. The festival, founded and organized by the Historic Wooster Square Association, has grown from a modest event in the early 1970s with a local band entertaining a handful of neighbors under lighted trees to a major New Haven event that in 2016 attracted over 10,000 visitors.

Geography

The Wooster Square neighborhood consists of the area between the Amtrak railroad tracks (serving as the boundary with Downtown New Haven) and Interstate 91 (between Exits 1 and 3), bounded on the south by the Oak Street Connector. It is bordered on the west by Downtown New Haven, on the south by Long Wharf, on the east by the neighborhood of Mill River, and on the north by East Rock.

History

Wooster Square Park Wooster Square Park.jpg
Wooster Square Park

Wooster Square takes its name from Revolutionary War General David Wooster, who had a warehouse near Water Street. In 1825 the land was purchased by the city of New Haven and incorporated into the city. At that time, the area was close to the city's waterfront (it is now farther inland due to harbor filling), and by the 1840s it had become a residential area where ship captains and wholesale grocers built large houses near the port. [2] As a result, Wooster Square now includes a concentrated collection of distinctive 19th-century residential architecture, including several buildings by New Haven architect Henry Austin. Included are examples of the Federal, Greek Revival, Islamic Revival, and Italian Villa styles, Late Victorian Italianate row houses, and Second Empire and Queen Anne homes. [3]

By the late 19th century, increased industrial activity in the vicinity made Wooster Square less desirable as a residential neighborhood, and Italian immigrant families began to move in and operate small stores out of their homes. This commercial activity damaged the neighborhood's reputation, and the area was targeted for demolition and redevelopment as early as the 1930s. In the mid-1950s, plans called for building Interstate 91 through Wooster Square Park, but the Wooster Square Project, which started in 1958, began a neighborhood revival and resulted in re-routing of the highway. [2] [3]

Wooster Square made headlines on June 24, 2020, when its Christopher Columbus statue was removed by a city-hired crew in the aftermath of the George Floyd Protests. City officials have since announced the commission of a new statue to replace the Columbus statue. The new statue, which will be just a few feet away from where the Columbus statue stood, will depict an Italian family. [4]

Culture and commerce

Exterior of Pepe's, one of several Wooster Square pizzerias. Frank pepe exterior.jpg
Exterior of Pepe's, one of several Wooster Square pizzerias.

Wooster Square is home to restaurants and bakeries known for their pizza and Italian pastries, local businesses, and a weekly farmer's market, City Seed. [5] Its walkable proximity to Downtown New Haven, its architecture, and its neighborhood feel, make it one of the most sought-after New Haven neighborhoods in which to live. It also has a thriving art scene.

A sycamore tree on the west side of Wooster Square Park has been said by some observers to resemble an outline image of Jesus Christ. [6]

List of streets

Bronze statue of Christopher Columbus formerly located at Wooster Square in New Haven, Connecticut. The statue was removed by the city Parks Commission on June 24th, 2020 N58102886 30717938 7388.jpeg
Bronze statue of Christopher Columbus formerly located at Wooster Square in New Haven, Connecticut. The statue was removed by the city Parks Commission on June 24th, 2020

Notable People

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Haven, Connecticut</span> City in Connecticut, United States

New Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Connecticut after Bridgeport and Stamford, the largest city in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, and the principal municipality of Greater New Haven, which had a total 2020 population of 864,835. Prior to 1960, it was the county seat of New Haven County until the county governments were abolished that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Italy</span> Ethnic enclave populated by Italians

Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are shops selling Italian goods as well as Italian restaurants lining the streets. A "Little Italy" strives essentially to have a version of the country of Italy placed in the middle of a large non-Italian city. This sort of enclave is often the result of periods of immigration in the past, during which people of the same culture settled together in certain areas. As cities modernized and grew, these areas became known for their ethnic associations, and ethnic neighborhoods like "Little Italy" blossomed, becoming the icons they are today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown New Haven</span> Neighborhood of New Haven in Connecticut, United States

Downtown New Haven is the neighborhood located in the heart of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It is made up of the original nine squares laid out in 1638 to form New Haven, including the New Haven Green, and the immediate surrounding central business district, as well as a significant portion of the Yale University campus. The area includes many restaurants, cafes, theaters and stores. Downtown is bordered by Wooster Square to the east, Long Wharf to the southeast, the Hill neighborhood to the south, the Dwight neighborhood to the west, the Dixwell neighborhood to the northwest, the Prospect Hill area to the north, and East Rock to the northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally's Apizza</span> Restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut

Sally's Apizza is a pizzeria in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut. Sally's Apizza also has locations in Stamford, Connecticut and Fairfield, Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepe's</span> Restaurant in Connecticut, United States

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, commonly known as Frank Pepe's or simply Pepe's, is a popular pizza restaurant in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, at 163 Wooster Street. Opened in 1925, it is one of the oldest and best known pizzerias in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard C. Lee</span> American politician

Richard Charles Lee was an American politician who served as the Mayor of New Haven from 1954 until 1970. He was a Democrat, and was the youngest mayor of the city had ever had at the time he entered office in 1954 at the age of 37. Lee is best known for his leading role in urban redevelopment in the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Circle (Syracuse, New York)</span> Historic site in New York, US

Columbus Circle is a neighborhood and plaza in the downtown section of Syracuse, New York, United States. At the center of the circle is a large fountain and the Columbus Monument, designed by the Syracuse-born architect Dwight James Baum and dedicated in 1934. Columbus Circle is home to Syracuse's two cathedrals, the Episcopalian St. Paul's Cathedral and the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, as well as the Onondaga County Courthouse and the John H. Mulroy Civic Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian Village</span> Neighborhood of Columbus in Franklin, Ohio, United States

Italian Village is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, that contains an array of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. It is a designated historic district, known for its historical and cultural preservation. The building types and architecture reflect Italian influence. With its parks and preserved historic homes, Italian Village has the highest home value appreciation in Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marconi Plaza</span>

Marconi Plaza is an urban park square located in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The plaza was named to recognize the 20th-century cultural identity in Philadelphia of the surrounding Italian-American enclave neighborhood and became the designation location of the annual Columbus Day Parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Stamford</span> United States historic place

Downtown Stamford, or Stamford Downtown, is the central business district of the city of Stamford, Connecticut, United States. It includes major retail establishments, a shopping mall, a university campus, the headquarters of major corporations and Fortune 500 companies, as well as other retail businesses, hotels, restaurants, offices, entertainment venues and high-rise apartment buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Columbus, Ohio</span> Neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio

Downtown Columbus is the central business district of Columbus, Ohio. Downtown is centered on the intersection of Broad and High Streets, and encompasses all of the area inside the Inner Belt. Downtown is home to most of the tallest buildings in Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wooster Square Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Wooster Square Historic District encompasses much of the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut. Centered on a rectangular park named in honor of General David Wooster, the area was developed as a residential neighborhood beginning in the 1820s, and was by the 1840s a desirable area to live, with many high-quality Greek Revival homes. In the 1950s the area was the subject of a major community-led preservation effort that drew national attention. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Street Historic District (Danbury, Connecticut)</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Main Street Historic District in Danbury, Connecticut, United States, is the oldest section of that city, at its geographical center. It has long been the city's commercial core and downtown. Its 132 buildings, 97 of which are considered contributing properties, include government buildings, churches, commercial establishments and residences, all in a variety of architectural styles from the late 18th century to the early 20th. It is the only major industrial downtown of its size in Connecticut not to have developed around either port facilities or a water power site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hill, New Haven</span> Neighborhood of New Haven in Connecticut, United States

The Hill is the southwesternmost neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut. As early as 1800, this area was known as "Sodom Hill". Located directly south of Downtown New Haven, this neighborhood is home to residential areas, some light industry, New Haven Union Station as well as Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Yale School of Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect Hill, New Haven</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

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 University, including the Science Hill area, the Hillhouse Avenue area and the Yale Peabody Museum. The City of New Haven defines the neighborhood to be the region bounded by the town of Hamden in the north, Winchester Avenue in the west, Munson Street/Hillside Place/Prospect Street in the southwest, Trumbull Street in the south, and Whitney Avenue in the east. Prospect Street is the main thoroughfare through the neighborhood.

The city of New Haven, Connecticut has many distinct neighborhoods. In addition to Downtown, centered on the central business district and the Green, are the following neighborhoods: the west central neighborhoods of Dixwell and Dwight; the southern neighborhoods of The Hill, historic water-front City Point, and the harborside district of Long Wharf; the western neighborhoods of Edgewood, West River, Westville, Amity, and West Rock; East Rock, Cedar Hill, Prospect Hill, and Newhallville in the northern side of town; the east central neighborhoods of Mill River and Wooster Square, an Italian-American neighborhood; Fair Haven, an immigrant community located between the Mill and Quinnipiac rivers; Quinnipiac Meadows and Fair Haven Heights across the Quinnipiac River; and facing the eastern side of the harbor, The Annex and East Shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trowbridge Square Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

Trowbridge Square Historic District, originally known as Village of Spireworth and Mount Pleasant, is a well-preserved 19th-century neighborhood in the Hill section of New Haven, Connecticut. Roughly bounded by Columbus, Howard, and Union Avenues, and Church Street on the east, the area was laid out in 1830 and developed as a working-class neighborhood. It retains its historic streetscape, and many original buildings, representing modest versions of a diversity of mid-to-late 19th century styles. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modern Apizza</span> Restaurant in Connecticut, United States

Modern Apizza is an American pizza restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut. Along with Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and Sally's Apizza, Modern forms what is informally referred to by locals as the "Holy Trinity" of New Haven-style pizza; the three pizza parlors are consistently ranked by food critics as some of the best pizza places in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Christopher Columbus (New Haven, Connecticut)</span> Former public statue in New Haven, Connecticut, United States

A statue of Christopher Columbus was installed in New Haven, Connecticut, United States.

References

General sources

Notes

  1. Wooster Square (PDF) (Map). New Haven City Plan Department. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  2. 1 2 Sara E. Thomas (2008), My Maps, My Neighborhood, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute Curriculum Unit 08.03.07
  3. 1 2 Wooster Square Historic District, The New Haven Preservation Trust website
  4. Schaefer, Brittany. "New Haven unveils statue design that will replace Christopher Columbus statue". WTNH. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  5. City Seed website
  6. The Hartford Courant, September 19, 1992
  7. Fight Breaks out at Statue Removal Site, New Haven Independent, retrieved 2020-06-24
  8. Bailey, Hugh. "Hugh Bailey: When Joe and Hunter Biden came to New Haven". The Register Citizen. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  9. "Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro talks childhood on Wooster Street". WTNH.com. WTNH. Retrieved 26 December 2022.

Further reading