Brown & Von Beren, Architects

By: Eric Berlepsch

Brown and Von Beren Architects was a highly accomplished duo of architects who designed many important buildings during both the later nineteenth century and the early parts of the twentieth century in. The duo was based out of New Haven, Connecticut, and did architectural work all over the city, as well as across the state. The two men, David R. Brown and Ferdinand Von Beren, were both well known in New Haven during their times and made a large contribution to the building of Westville, as well as other areas in New Haven and in Connecticut.

David Brown was the senior member of the duo, and he was born on May 30, 1831 in the city of New Haven. He attended public schools while growing up, and consistently was enhancing his knowledge of architecture, his future profession. He was taught architecture by another well known and highly accomplished New Haven architect named Henry Austin. After learning from Austin, he was named his partner, an honor Brown would later bestow on Von Beren in their business together. In 1856, Brown relocated to the Midwest in Chicago, Illinois, where he practiced architecture with some success. However, Brown would return to work in New Haven in 1860 and would forever be known for his part in building up the city. Brown had enjoyed being the oldest architect in the city during his later years and had put many of the other architects in the city at the time into business (New Haven Union Co., pg 74).

Ferdinand Von Beren was the junior member of the firm and was born in Germany on December 7, 1870. Von Beren came to the United States at the age of six with his family. He attended grammar school as a child and received much instruction in the theory and practice of drawing and architectural design. In 1895, at the age of fifteen, Ferdinand Von Beren entered the office of David R. Brown, and became his apprentice. Five years later in 1890, was promoted by Brown to be his full-time partner. When Brown passed away on February 22, 1911, Von Beren took over the entire business, however he still  retained the original name, Brown and Von Beren (New Haven Union Co., pg. 74-75).

The firm is responsible for the construction of the following buildings: Tenth and Twelfth Ward engine houses, Police Station 3 on Howard Street, the Music Hall on Court Street, Miller’s pavilion at Savin Rock, the West Haven Town Hall, Schoolhouse in Branford, the Mendel and Freedman buildings, the Town Hall and engine house in Hamden, the Portland Post Office, Wm. Arfmann’s café on Temple Street, and the Malley, Neely and Co.’s building (New Haven Union Co., pg 75). They also are responsible for the private residences of many of New Haven’s citizens during their time, including the estate Edgewood of Donald Grant Mitchell, also known by his pen name Ik Marvel.

Some of the firm’s most well-known designs exist in the neighborhood of Westville in New Haven. Two of those being the Soldiers’ Memorial, and The Chapel of Mishkan Israel Cemetery. The Soldiers’ Memorial is located at the corner of Whalley Avenue and Phillip Street, right at the entrance to Beecher Park. Erected in 1915, the monument is constructed of local traprock, most likely coming from West Rock. The monument was built to honor the residents of New Haven that had served in the Civil War. Two plaques on the front read “Erected by the Westville Soldiers Memorial Association to commemorate those who enlisted from this place in the War of 1861-1865”. The monument consists of two large pillars, and benches extending from the pillars. A plaque on the left pillar lists thirty-two names and bears the seal of the United States, while the plaque on the right pillar lists thirty-three names, and the seal of the state of Connecticut (Soldiers Memorial, Westville, Pelland).

The Chapel of the Mishkan Israel Cemetery is very important to the city’s history. The cemetery was created in 1843 and was the first Jewish cemetery in Connecticut. The cemetery is much like most other cemeteries, and consists of over three-thousand grave sites, and has a large iron fence around its perimeter. One of the defining features of the Mishkan Israel Cemetery is a large brownstone mortuary chapel. This was added to the cemetery in 1910 and was designed by Ferdinand Von Beren after the passing of David R. Brown. Von Beren chose to build the chapel in an Assyrian style, pointing to the chapel’s integrity as it defines the geographical location of Israel in relation to the reformation movement within the Congregation of Mishkan Israel. Other Westville buildings the firm is responsible for are the Pond Lily Laundromat, the Westville Fire station, and Sheridan Junior High School. Brown and Von Beren are also responsible for remodeling the Westville Public Library in 1921, before it was torn down and replaced in 1965 (Solomon, Secret Panel Found in Westville Library). Von Beren also designed and built his own home in Westville. It is in the Colonial-Revivalist style and is located at 116 McKinley Avenue (A Guide to Historic New Haven, Connecticut, Caplan).

Bibliography:

The New Haven Union Co., Institutions and Features of the City of New Haven, Conn., publishing     date unknown,  estimated around 1910.

Westville Fire Station, New Haven Register, March 14, 1915

Woodmanese, Florence. Westville Cemetery, 1923

Solomon, Gladys. Secret Panel Found in the Westville Library, New Haven Register, September 20, 1936

Dave Pelland, Soldiers Memorial, Westville, Published March 10, 2010, Web Article Accessed 3/21/2018

Congregation Mishkan Israel. Accessed April 30, 2018. http://cmihamden.org/.

Caplan, Colin M. Westville: Tales of a Connecticut Hamlet. History Press, 2009.

Key Words: Architecture, Buildings, Architects, Westville, Business, Mishkan, Cemetery, Memorial, Residence