Last month, when the Connecticut Department of Transportation announced proposed improvements to Union Station in New Haven, we heard from many Docomomo US members who deeply appreciate the late-1980s addition and pedestrian tunnels designed by Herbert S. Newman.

 

The proposed $402 million project, described in the New Haven Independent, includes replacing aging platforms and improving the pedestrian experience throughout the station.

 

In response to the proposal, Docomomo US reached out to colleagues across Connecticut and submitted a letter to the Connecticut Department of Transportation expressing our support for the preservation of the pedestrian tunnels. In our letter, we noted both our admiration for the tunnels’ distinctly futuristic character and the irony that they were constructed during a period when Union Station itself faced the threat of demolition.

 

While Herb Newman may not be as widely recognized nationally as architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright or Marcel Breuer, our office received numerous messages from individuals expressing their appreciation for the Union Station tunnels and urging their preservation as an important part of New Haven’s late modern architectural legacy. You can read more about the original project on the Newman Architects website.

 

We will provide an update to this proposal when we know more.