Old Sears site, west side of Church Street between George and Crown, prior to redevelopment, New Haven

Title supplied by cataloger. Dated June 1956. One of a collection of photographs taken by the New Haven Redevelopment Agency to document a massive urban planning and development project undertaken from 1956 through the mid-1970s. The federally-financed redevelopment initiative was realized through a series of projects focused on particular New Haven city neighborhoods identified by street or area names. These projects involved the demolition of old structures and construction of new buildings, roadways and other facilities. Much of the Church Street project area had been characterized by a mix of small stores, restaurants, theaters and residences. In the course of redevelopment, whole blocks were demolished to make way for larger modern structures such as department stores, hotels, office buildings, a mall and the New Haven Coliseum. Signage visible in earlier photographs, including one dated March 1959, indicate that the building to the north of the one-story structure is the Hotel Oneco.