Goatville Rehabs Inspire Neighbors

Two decrepit buildings were dragging down a pocket of the East Rock section in Goatville until a husband-and-wife development team stepped in. Now neighbors are sighing with pride and relief.

After leafletting the neighborhood with invitations, the couple held an open house recently to show off the transformed homes and to welcome neighbors who had patiently observed the demolition and construction progress over the last four months.

Carol Horsford, principal at Farnam Realty Group, and husband Jesse Horsford, owner of Blue Fin Construction, collaborated on the remarkable transformations of 47 Canner St. and 19 North Bank St. after purchasing the languishing properties directly from an estate attorney. One of the properties had been vacant for up to ten years.

The properties back up to one another from separate streets. They had been owned by a couple, Brendon Zunder and Judith Zunder (née Fernando), who, before marriage, had owned 19 North Bank and 47 Canner respectively. After getting married, the couple consolidated households at the North Bank Street address.

Judith died in 2009; Brendon died four years later in 2013. The couple had no children. It took estate attorneys up to one year to find a relative. Given the properties’ vacant, dilapidated condition, few had shown interest until Carol Horsford happened upon the them and decided they had renovation potential.

The rows of stately homes and apartment buildings that line upper Canner Street and the East Rock neighborhood are sometimes referred to as ​“Grad Haven,” owing to a large population of Yale graduate and professional students and the upscale restaurants, coffee shops and businesses that cater to them. Closer to the I‑91 corridor, homes transition to more modest housing stock along with the lower street numbers that culminate at the Nicoll Street intersection; an area dotted with old warehouses and part of neighborhood’s industrial history. (Click here to read about Goatville’s development over time.)

The recent introduction of mActivity Gym and other businesses have demonstrated the potential of what, Horsford noted, some people dismissed as the ​“bad or fringe end of East Rock neighborhood.” Neighbors said the community is fairly tight-knit. They’re proud of their neat, though less affluent environs. Amenities include select views of East Rock and the highly rated Worthington Hooker School as well as the revived East Rock Community Magnet School.

Jesse Horsford, an insulation specialist, said that it took a dozen 30-yard dumpsters to remove the accumulated items and construction debris from the homes. Both homes were gutted and brought up to date with all new mechanical infrastructures, insulation, windows, roofing, flooring, exterior cladding, and yard makeovers that included decks and patios.

Carol Horsford, together with fellow realtor and former architecture student Neil Currie, designed the floor plans, a compromise between the articulated spaces that Currie preferred and the more open floor plan preferred by Horsford.

Other interior design appointments throughout the house were handled by the pair as Jesse and the Blue Fin team addressed construction matters.

Stepping out of the open house reception at North Bank Street, neighbor Sue Stout (pictured) said the renovations will boost property values: ​“The homes are cute; really adorable and make a positive statement about the neighborhood. It’s nice to have the upgrade and a lot of neighbors are thrilled.”

James Bednarczyk, who has a dental practice and lives nearby, said he has been looking at the same tree outside his home since 1956: ​“I used to deliver newspapers to people in this neighborhood. I think the neighborhood is a lot nicer now than it was before — it has more of a sense of community and a lot of warmth.”

Perhaps no one was more relieved by the makeovers than teacher David Shimchick, who lives next door to the Canner Street property. Shimchick said that the large pine trees had been raining down sap and debris for years and posed a danger of falling. He was glad to see them removed. ​“The project,” he said, ​“inspired us to do more work on our own properties” pointing to a gleaming white fence that had recently been installed.

Dropping in at the invitation of the Horsfords was architect Fernando Pastor (pictured). Pastor has had a prominent profile in rehabbing and redesigning many of New Haven’s historical homes and buildings. Saying that he might have taken a different approach in some areas of the floor plans, Pastor gave an overall positive nod to the renovation. He praised the preservation of some of the homes’ original architectural elements. ​“I was in it when it was a wreck,” said neighbor and former Alder Ed Mattison. ​“I think they’ve done a nice job of rehabbing the property.”

The two homes are listed for $389,000 and $415,000, reflecting the restoration and building boom taking place not only in downtown New Haven but in neighborhoods across the city.