New Haven Stations, Past and Present

This illustrated presentation looks back at the several railroad stations that have served New Haven, including Henry Austin’s Picturesque-Exotic 1849 Chapel Street Station and Cass Gilbert’s Renaissance Revival 1918 Union Station. Many factors went into the design of these stations: public convenience, the needs of the railroad, civic pride. Yet no station was a complete success, at least not for very long. The talk is given by historian Bruce Clouette, who has been active in the fields of Connecticut history and historic preservation since 1975. He was one of the contributors to Carriages and Clocks, Corsets and Locks, a publication of the New Haven Preservation Trust, for which he has also led several summer walking tours. Originally presented at a New Haven Preservation Trust online event on October 4, 2020.