Revitalization in Hamden

Laine and Jennifer Harris realized something — there was tremendous potential in two historic church buildings in the urban neighborhood of Whitneyville in Hamden. Then the Whitneyville Cultural Commons was born.

By renovating and revitalizing this area, they envisioned setting up a community center with education programming, a place to host cultural events, and an innovative coworking space for local businesses or nonprofits. Without taking away the valuable church services, they took action and began renovating the buildings.

Whitneyville Cultural Commons Mission

When Laine Harris would look at the historic church buildings at the corner of Whitney and Putnam avenues in the Whitneyville urban neighborhood of Hamden, CT, he saw two possibilities.

The first: A For Sale sign followed by a demolition crew followed by a chain store. Not good, he realized.

The second: A dream. I can save this place, he imagined.

Lucky for all of us, Laine chose the second possibility by putting his retirement money on the line to buy the buildings and commons space they are built on. He and his wife Jen Brosious renovated the beautiful structures with the idea of establishing a co-work space with social and cultural events, allowing the small congregation that built the church in 1834 to continue worshiping there on Sundays.

In business (and in life, for that matter), this is what’s called “being an angel.”

If not for Laine and Jen’s generosity and vision, it’s hard to say what would have happened to this place by now. But what about the future? Even for angels, an enormous project like this is costly and physically draining.

Lucky for Laine and Jen, community members stepped up and formed a non-profit corporation, the Whitneyville Cultural Commons, to help the community center at 1253 Whitney Ave. sustain itself and grow, (as well as ensuring that Laine and Jen can actually retire when they are ready).

As a non-profit, the WCC will thrive with community support to be a gathering place to work, share, create, learn, play, and enrich each other’s lives.

With everyone channeling their inner angels, there will always be a tree-filled common in Whitneyville and the two church buildings will grace us with their iconic and historic presence into the future. It’s a job for all of us now, and no demolition crews need apply.

Coworking Spaces

Cowork is a style of work that involves shared workplace and independent activity. Employees are typically not a part of the same organization, but merely share in the office space and other equipment shared at a location.

Coworking is especially attractive for work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, and workers who travel frequently.

A major benefit of coworking is the possibility of knowledge share. Because people from all different organizations and backgrounds congregate at these locations, it is possible to share ideas, discuss concepts, and fine-tune theories without being limited to coworkers of the same business. Sense of community is a large, and essential, part of the coworking process.

WCC offers coworking spaces with different purchasing options — from a single day to a monthly pass.

Rental Spaces

In addition to coworking, WCC offers several beautiful areas for hosting events or parties.

These rentals range from an auditorium, to a sanctuary, to a study lounge, and of course many conference rooms.

Progress Being Made

The Harris Family and the WCC’s Executive Director Robert Sheiman are equally excited to have a resourceful and energy-efficient space for his community.

From the Hartford Courant:  “It’s been amazing to see the growth in use of the historic properties over the last three years, for all manner of purposes. We’ve had local, Quinnipiac University graduates use space to start their first web development company Checkmate Digital and create new jobs in Hamden,” said Sheiman. “We’ve gotten to host annual dances and fundraising events from local nonprofits like Fellowship Place, Jack and Jill Foundation, BBYO and New Haven Farms. Not to mention the dozens of local arts groups and new churches bringing dances, concerts, worship and theater to Whitneyville by holding them at the WCC. It’s been heart-warming proof that a community resource center is actually needed and desired. There’s nothing more validating to this project than the consistent use of it by all members of the diverse Greater New Haven community.”

As the organization continues to succeed and becoming financially viable it intends to expand its reach and grow its economic development initiatives in Whitneyville.

The Benefits of Downtown Revitalization

While the short-term costs are typically too high for immediate ROI (e.g., shutting down businesses, renovation and construction of buildings, drawing people back in), the long-term returns in human energy far outweigh them.

Organizations like WCC are willing to take on the risk of developing these areas, at no profit, in order to make the place community better for all of its residents.

The major improvement comes with the business growth to the area. Increased contracts (coworking, rentals, other events) lead to more economic activity in surrounding areas which leads to improved employment and job gains in businesses and nonprofits.

In addition, the tax base grows due to increase property values. This further attracts economic activity, residential movement, and overall energy to the area.

Whitneyville Cultural Commons is on a mission to do all of these things.

Donate to Whitneyville Cultural Commons

To donate to this fantastic cause and help revitalize downtown Hamden, click here. Every dollar makes a difference in improving the area and adding value for organizations and individuals to take advantage of for many years to come.