Mayor Elicker, Gov. Lamont Celebrate 100th Anniversary of New Haven Union Station
Federal, state, & local officials and development partners also on hand for a salute to City landmark, unveiling of the new management agreement, and planned station improvements.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Mayor Justin Elicker joined Gov. Ned Lamont, and a delegation of federal, state, and local elected officials and economic development partners to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Union Station. The celebration, initially scheduled for April 5, the actual centennial of the station's April 5, 1920 dedication, was postponed amidst the shutdown in response to COVID-19. In addition to celebrating the building itself and its vital importance to City and state, officials used Thursday's event to announce a new partnership agreement to manage the two rail stations in New Haven owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT).
"This is not just a celebration of the important place this building holds in the history of New Haven, it is a tribute to the vital role it continues to play in the state's transportation infrastructure and the redevelopment of downtown," said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. "It is not only an architectural landmark, but it is also the gateway to the City and a cornerstone in our ongoing revitalization efforts. Union Station is so much more than a building; it is an essential element of the City's evolution in the century to come," he concluded.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Union Station was designed by renowned architect Cass Gilbert, the creator of the towering neo-Gothic Woolworth building in lower Manhattan. With its 30-foot coffered ceilings, grand clock, soaring windows, and wide wooden benches, Union Station is an architectural gem as well as a busy transportation hub for New Haven and the Greater New York Region. Union Station is the busiest rail facility in the state of Connecticut and one of the most active rail lines in the United States: transporting 125,000 passengers on weekdays, 39 million a year, and driving nearly $50 million of revenue annually into the local economy.
The station is also a centerpiece of redevelopment projects taking shape in the downtown neighborhoods surrounding it. Those projects include Downtown Crossing, a long-term, multi-phase project reconnecting the City's medical district and Hill neighborhood with the central business district. As part of that plan, a section of Route 34 – a limited-access highway connector – is being converted into urban boulevards and new city streets. Construction on Phase 2 - funded by a $21.5 million grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic Development (DECD) and $7 million from a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) - is expected to be completed by summer 2021.
Partnerships with private developers and institutions are also reshaping the downtown landscape, including the construction of 101 College Street, a 500,000 square-foot medical and life sciences office building; Parkview City Crossing, a 148,000 square-foot mixed-use development at 22 Gold Street featuring 600 units of new housing; and the ongoing growth and innovation at Yale-New Haven Health and Yale University fueled by a $400 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
"Union Station is no longer just a commuter hub, it's a focal point of a neighborhood – a welcome mat for New Haven," said Michael Piscitelli, Economic Development Director for the City of New Haven.
Other dignitaries in attendance Thursday included Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Joe Giulietti, U.S Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, State Rep. Roland Lamar, Ward 6 Alder Carmen Rodriguez, and members of the New Haven Board of Alders.
The terms of the partnership agreement outlined in a letter of intent and signed by the state of Connecticut and the City, include operation of Union Station and State Street Station, capital improvements to the Union Station Campus, and the area around the station. The agreement establishes a new 35-year lease and funding agreement between CTDOT and the City, with two 10-year extension options, that will allow the City through Park New Haven to lease and operate the Union Station Transportation Campus. Improvements include revamping the basement, first and second floors of the station to allow for new retail options, and reconfiguring escalators, elevators, and stairs for better access and use of space.
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