Crown Street Lived

Crown Street spans eight blocks in New Haven, Connecticut’s city center—from Howe Street to State Street—and its range of tenants, spatial use and commercial activity offer a unique window into the city’s history. This project, the artist’s undergraduate thesis in American Studies, explores the intersection between personal narrative and collective urban history through the eyes of a handful of the street’s modern inhabitants.

Walter, Mush and Rob’s accounts tell the stories of a city that has weathered homophobia, street violence and the death of a once-vibrant commercial center. But they also speak intimately to the city’s durability, that innate quality of constant adaptation that continues to define the American city today.

Ed. note: Since the publication of this project, Walter passed away. May he rest in peace.

 

Walter's seen it all in New Haven, from the early days of open violence against gay people to the success of Partners Cafe, the first gay bar with a dancefloor in New Haven and his current place of work as a bartender. As he says himself, he survived the devastating wave of AIDS-related deaths during the '80s and will be turning 67 next month.

Walter's seen it all in New Haven, from the early days of open violence against gay people to the success of Partners Cafe, the first gay bar with a dance floor in New Haven and his current place of work as a bartender. A lifelong resident of the city, he grew up around the Yale Bowl as one of only two Black children in his neighborhood. He eventually left New Haven to serve in the Navy and work several odd jobs across the Northeast before returning to care for his sick mother in 1970. As he says himself, he survived the devastating wave of AIDS-related deaths during the '80s and will turn 67 next month.

 

Mush was a New Haven youth living the street life before finding the YMCA. The organization turned his life around, a shift which he shows his undying appreciation for by working as a fulltime employee. A father of two, his son and daughter are both students at the YMCA as well.

Mush Hudson was a self-proclaimed New Haven youth living the street life before finding the YMCA. The organization turned his life around, a shift which he shows his undying appreciation for by working as a full-time employee, where is affectionately known by all as “Uncle Mush”. A father of two, his son and daughter are both students at the YMCA as well.

 

Rob Greenberg is the son of the owner of the ACME Vintage Furniture store at 33 Crown Street. An artist in his own right, he is known for his croc drawings and paintings, as well as an extensive mini-museum of artifacts from his many years of digging around New Haven and New York City.

Rob Greenberg is the son of the owner of the ACME Vintage Furniture store at 33 Crown Street. An artist in his own right, he is known for his croc drawings and paintings, as well as an extensive mini-museum of artifacts from his many years of digging around New Haven and New York City.