Whitneyville Cultural Commons

When Laine Harris would look at the historic church buildings at the corner of Whitney and Putnam avenues in the Whitneyville urban neighborhood of Hamden, CT, he saw two possibilities.The first: A For Sale sign followed by a demolition crew followed by a chain store. Not good, he realized.The second: A dream. I can save this place, he imagined.Lucky for all of us, Laine chose the second possibility by putting his retirement money on the line to buy the buildings and commons space they are built on. He and his wife Jen Brosious renovated the beautiful structures with the idea of establishing a co-work space with social and cultural events, allowing the small congregation that built the church in 1834 to continue worshiping there on Sundays.In business (and in life, for that matter), this is what’s called “being an angel.”If not for Laine and Jen’s generosity and vision, it’s hard to say what would have happened to this place by now. But what about the future? Even for angels, an enormous project like this is costly and physically draining.Lucky for Laine and Jen, community members stepped up and formed a non-profit corporation, the Whitneyville Cultural Commons, to help the community center at 1253 Whitney Ave. sustain itself and grow, (as well as ensuring that Laine and Jen can actually retire when they are ready).As a non-profit, the WCC will thrive with community support to be a gathering place to work, share, create, learn, play, and enrich each other's lives.With everyone channeling their inner angels, there will always be a tree-filled common in Whitneyville and the two church buildings will grace us with their iconic and historic presence into the future. It’s a job for all of us now, and no demolition crews need apply.