Jabez Choi photos
Property Manager Amanda Naranjo (center) helps cut the ribbon ...
... on "the Archive" on Chapel St.
Downtown renters looking for a shiny new two-bedroom apartment can now spend $3,399-plus per month — to live in a two-building, 166-unit complex that has risen from the ashes of a pair of long-vacant Chapel Street lots.
That complex is called The Archive, which is spread across two new apartment buildings located at 808 and 848 Chapel St.
The first tenants started moving in in mid-August and, on Thursday, local government officials, business owners, and developers gathered to celebrate with a ribbon cutting.
“The ribbon cutting is not just about a building. It’s about creating a lasting home, a place where people can connect, grow and thrive,” Property Manager Amanda Naranjo said. “We are confident that The Archive will stand as a cornerstone of this community for years to come, offering both residents and the greater New Haven community a place to feel proud of.”
The two new apartment buildings that comprise The Archive used to be home to a Kresge department store, which burned down in 2007. The 842 – 848 Chapel St. lot sat vacant ever since. The last building at 808 – 810 Chapel, meanwhile, was torn down in 2015. A Chicago-based real estate company called CA Ventures purchased the properties from Northside Development’s Paul Denz for $6.75 million in November 2022. And in April 2023, the city closed one half of Chapel between Church and Orange as the developer built and built. Those lanes reopened in September.
Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli, who emceed Thursday’s press conference, started the celebration with a reflection on the recent growth of the surrounding Ninth Square district, pointing to the new New Haven Pride Center location and more apartments from Beacon Communities. Piscitelli highlighted these developments among other community events that have bolstered local businesses, including the beer garden and festivities at CITA Park.
Piscitelli noted that The Archive development had the help of six workers employed through New Haven Works. He also shared that 50 percent of the construction value, including the civil work, architectural, and mechanical work, were achieved through women- or Black and Brown-owned contractors. This provision, according to Piscitelli, was enforced by the Board of Alders in development agreements to encourage that the work gets broken up and made available to small contractors.
“Many of our small businesses really stepped up and took it all in stride,” Piscitelli said.
According to Naranjo, The Archive has welcomed some 100 residents since opening in mid-August.
As of now, studios at the apartment complex start at $2,049, with one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms starting at $2,299 and $3,399, respectively. Wi-fi is the only utility included in the rent, with residents responsible for their light and water fees.
“Collaborative design that inspires is really our philosophy of the office, and that means collaborating with everybody,” local architect Kenneth Boroson said. “Buildings also have to collaborate with each other.”
Boroson explained that the brick detailing on the corner building picks up on brick details across the street on Chapel. He also explained that the 848 Chapel building was made with a more contemporary feeling in mind. This decision is in contrast to the 808 Chapel location, which has noticeably warmer, wooden brown details, giving it a more nostalgic feel.
As for the interior, the two apartment buildings have different floor plans, with the 808 location having no one-bedrooms. The apartments come with a game room, sauna, gym, study rooms, meditation space, and gathering rooms, as well as a rooftop balcony.
Michael Piscitelli.
Inside a sample room...
...and a sauna!