In 1945 New Haven was coming out of a period of hardship brought on by the Depression and World War II. It was exciting and frightening to think about what the future might bring. People with vision see challenge and opportunity in uncertainty. Merrill Lincoln and Lawrence Moore, the founders of Technical Planning Associates, were two such visionary architects who had spent the war designing military bases. They put their ideas to work to provide a good quality of life in a peacetime economy.Community planning is based on good design and knowledge that a community is a complex entity made up of many interests that go beyond town boundaries. TPA recognized this required a multi-discipline approach to finding solutions, a philosophy to which TPA still adheres.
TPA's first offices at 37 Whitney Avenue allowed Yale faculty to participate in "pilot studies" and "town planning". The disciplines of architecture, engineering, city planning, landscape architecture and law were drawn upon. One of their first projects was a pilot study for the Town of Fairfield, the first Plan of Development in Connecticut, that discussed the implications of the "decentralization" that had occurred and would accelerate post-war, known today as "urban sprawl".Planning remained the focus of services until November 1963 when Humbert V. Sacco, Jr. joined the firm. A native of New Haven and a graduate of Yale University in 1955 with a degree in engineering, Bert broadened TPA's capabilities and allowed the firm to undertake a number of urban renewal projects in New Haven.
In the spring of 1970 the deteriorating condition of the Whitney Avenue building led to a move to North Haven. The firm's community planning base had diversified to include subdivision design, urban, economic development, and regional planning , site engineering and architecture. Bert became TPA's President in 1972. The firm changed its name to TPA Services in 1974 with a move back to New Haven at 85 Willow Street.
TPA was working on comprehensive projects such as Foote Park in Branford, Price Club Plaza in North Haven, Science Park., and under a federal unemployment reduction initiative, New Haven selected TPA to rehabilitate twenty city parks. David S. Golebiewski, graduating from Cornell University with a degree in landscape architecture who spent his summers at TPA working on many park projects, became a full time employee in 1981.Through the 1980s, services focusing on projects such as industrial parks, public housing improvements and business expansions were broadened by the needs of private developers. While TPA continued to provide single discipline expertise, assignments increasingly melded disciplines together. In 1986, operations began under the name of TPA Design Group.
By the end of this decade, the client mix was almost exclusively private developers or municipalities. In the 1990s, TPA completed some of its most comprehensive work for private developers including Brass Mill Center in Waterbury, Connecticut Post Mall, and U. S. Surgical. The economy was slowing. Demand for architectural services waned. The developer client list was growing predominantly by clients already having architects on staff. In 1994 TPA divested from the practice of architecture.
This decision provided opportunities to team up with architectural firms with highly specialized skills. Simultaneously adding staff in regulatory compliance, planning, and urban design prepared them for another cycle of planning. TPA currently is creating realistic redevelopment strategies for West Haven's waterfront and working for New Haven's neighborhoods as part of the Empowerment Zone process.
TPA's 55-year history celebrates a respect for the interrelationship of people and places. Under the direction of Bert Sacco, TPA has remained at the forefront of planning, design, and development. As the firm continues to respond to the needs of its clients and an ever-changing environment, TPA's ownership will also begin a new transition. Bert will become TPA's Chairman of the Board and David Golebiewski will take the reins as President. TPA's management team will be rounded out by Raymond C. Sanford, P.E. and Valarie Ferro, AICP, thus continuing the legacy of its founding principals for the second fifty years.