Cheney & Company

A History of the Building

The Grand Avenue Bridge

At a Place Known as Dragon

Fair Haven

Grand Avenue Transportation

King's Block Stores

Transportation along Grand Avenue

Grand Avenue became a popular route of transportation after the building of the bridge over the Quinnipiac. Travelers from Westville, New Haven and East Haven now frequently passed through Fair Haven as they traveled between these cities. The ease of transportation also contributed to the growth of Fair Haven, since workers could live in Fair Haven and work downtown and vice versa.

King's Omnibus
King's Omnibus, a horse-drawn trolley, operated in the mid 1800s. It shuttled passengers between Park House in downtown New Haven and Dragon Bridge. Charles King, a later business partner of David M. King, ran the Omnibus.

The Fair Haven and Westville Railroad Company
In 1860, the city of New Haven authorized the Fair Haven and Westville Railroad Company to build two tracks stretching from the east end of Dragon Bridge, along Grand Avenue, and out Whalley Avenue to Westville. The railroad opened in 1861, running cars every 12 minutes and charging passengers a modest 5 cents. The railroad was originally horse drawn but was electrified in 1894. According to one report, in 1900 it was the largest street railway company having carried 16,224,157 passengers. The company was bought out by the New Haven Railroad in 1904.

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