Connecticut Jewish Ledger

When Doron Ben-Atar left Israel in 1979 to attend Brandeis University, he had no idea that his life would become so interconnected with American history. Ben-Atar received a PhD in American history, he teaches American history at Fordham University (following a long stint at Yale), and he lives in house in a New Haven neighborhood intricately connected to American history.

New Haven’s Ronan-Edgehill Neighborhood was the site of the estates of two of New Haven’s most important people in the 19th centurythe Hillhouse Family and the Whitney Family.

James Hillhouse (1754-1832) was an entrepreneur and civic leader in New Haven. He was responsible for planting many oak trees in New Haven and for enacting the first municipal tree ordinance in the United States.

In the 1790s Hillhouse encouraged Eli Whitney (who also invented the cotton gin) to locate his armory to the area. The area soon included a gun factory, houses for his workers, and a farm to supply the workers with food.

Whitney and family members manufactured muskets, rifles and handguns for both civilian and military purposes.

According to Ben-Atar, “In the 1870’s and 80’s, descendants of the Hillhouses and Whitneys realized there was a lot of money to be made and started to sell some of their property.” James Abraham Hillhouse, son of James Hillhouse, began working with architects to create America’s first planned suburban development. “The buyers were some of the leading New Haven families,” notes Ben-Atar, “they bought because poverty was in the suburbs and countryside while the towns were richthis area became the chic area of New Haven.”
In 1997, Ben-Atar and his wife, Jo, decided to move to Saint Ronan Street with their three children.

“We fell in love with the Bowers House and decided to buy it.”

Now, after eight years in the neighborhood, Ben-Atar has come up with a creative way to share his Great American neighborhood for a Jewish cause.

Ben-Atar, soccer coach, basketball coach and parent at the Ezra Academy in Woodbridge, has arranged a tour of select mansions in the Saint Ronan-Edgehill neighborhood. Proceeds will benefit the Ezra Academy and their eighth grade Israel trip.

Said Ben-Atar, “We need to raise a lot more money this year as the class size has grown to 29, so we began to think of creative ways to raise money. I approached some of my neighbors about the mansions tour and they were willing to open up their homes.”

He notes, “Many of these magnificent homes have never been open for public viewing.”

The homes will be available for viewing on Sunday, Oct. 9, from 1-5 p.m. Tours will be leaving periodically throughout the afternoon. The starting point is the Bowers House on 258 Saint Ronan Street. The Bowers Home was built in 1910 by the architectural firm of Dana and Murphy and was originally owned by Fanny and Edward Bowers

On Sunday, Oct. 9, Ezra Academy will offer a tour of select mansions in the Saint Ronan-Edgehill neighborhood of New Haven. The homes will be available for viewing from 1-5 p.m. Tours will leave periodically throughout the afternoon. The starting point is the old Bowers house on 258 Saint Ronan Street.

For more information, call (2030) 562-1800.