81 Pearl Street Comes Back to Life
By Susan Godshall
We are all familiar with the beloved story line of Victorian novels, “Rags to Riches.” Successful preservation stories often follow a different pattern, along the lines of “Riches to Rags to Riches Once More.” The restoration of the row house at 81 Pearl Street in New Haven is a wonderful example of this theme, with a story that stretches over almost 130 years.
The restoration was carried out by Robert and Susan Frew, principals of Frew Management LLC, who received the Preservation Trust’s highest honor, the Margaret Flint Award, in October 2020. Bob Frew has practiced as an architect and community developer for the past forty years in the Upper State Street area, specializing in restoring historic buildings. The project at 81 Pearl Street embodies all the criteria for the Margaret Flint Award, contributing to the “integrity of the community, the protection of its historic resources, and an appreciation of its history.”
The story begins in the nineteenth century. Back in New Haven’s industrial heyday, Hobart Bigelow took over a small metal manufacturing facility and expanded it into the famed H. B. Bigelow & Company, sending huge steam boilers across the country. In 1875, he took on a partner, Henry Elson. Mr. Elson thrived at the company and a decade or so later built three brick rowhouses on Pearl Street for himself and his family.
New Haven did not start issuing building permits until 1895, according to Elizabeth Mills Brown, author of New Haven, A Guide to Architecture and Urban Design. As a result, we have no record of the construction cost of Mr. Elson’s home, but we know that the three connected houses had — and still have — rich brick detailing, terra-cotta trim, stained glass windows in the parlors, and decorative front entry porches. Reflecting New Haven’s prosperity at the end of the nineteenth century, many substantial brick row houses of similar late-Italianate style were built during this period in the Orange/State Street neighborhood.
Records are slim about residents of 81 – 85 Pearl Street for the first half of the twentieth century, although the houses appear to have been steadily occupied. The two easterly houses, 81 and 83 Pearl, were owned by one family for decades, until generational changes and ill health resulted in extensive deferred maintenance in the early years of this century.
When Bob and Susan became aware in early 2018 that 81 Pearl needed work, they saw an irresistible opportunity and purchased the property. When Bob first visited the site, he was shocked by the dilapidated condition. “It was an absolute disaster,” he says. The stairs were gone, as were most period millwork elements, and the original flooring needed work. The front parlor’s fireplace mantel and arched stained-glass window could be preserved, but they were the only unmarred glimpses of the home’s former glory. The brick exterior, roof, porch and main entry door all desperately needed attention.
The Frews quickly assembled their usual subcontractors and hands-on work began. Demolition is always important, Bob says, as the team unveils the “guts” of the building and sees how it was built. It is as though a conversation with the building begins, so Bob can discern ways to ensure that the final restoration/renovation displays the building’s history while providing for modern wants and needs.
The remarkable result has been described by Trust Board member Margaret (Peg) Chambers, who also sits on the Trust’s Award Committee. She notes that new structural interventions allowed for expansion of the interior spaces, including opening the third floor into the attic. At the level of extreme detail, master carpenter John Keefer and wood finisher Peter Wigginton worked together to restore the entry door, imperceptibly blending the original wood tone with the repair. Where interior features had been lost, appropriate period-inspired details were added.
The Frews’ deft touches and attention to preservation details gave a depth of character and value to the restored house, evidenced by photographs showing the thoughtful blend of old and new. Happily, the finished house was sold in 2019 to a couple now carrying on the spirit of Mr. Elson’s living tradition. Riches to Rags to Riches Once More indeed!
Susan Godshall serves on the Board of Directors of the New Haven Preservation Trust.
