The New Haven Preservation Trust was founded in 1961 by a small, but dedicated and qualified group of people concerned about the threats of destruction to buildings of architectural and historical significance in the City of New Haven. New Haven's early preservation movement was part of a growing national trend about threats to our nation's cultural heritage. These concerned people felt the expansion of the interstate highway system and urban renewal in the late 1950's, should not be at the expense of older, historic neighborhoods in the City. Some of the Trust's successes are the preservation and restoration of Union Railroad Station, Ives Memorial Library, the former New Haven Post Office and Federal Building, the John Davis Mansion, and the partial preservation and restoration of City Hall.

In the 1970's, several publications were written. A Guide to Historic New Haven, A Walking Tour Guide to Historic New Haven, and A Ten Year's War 1962-1972, a story of the Trust's first decade. All are still currently in use. Up until 1979, when a formal office space and staff were established, all discussions and planning meetings were informal, but with official minutes and attendance recorded.

In the 1980's, the New Haven Preservation Trust increased its involvement in neighborhood preservation as the national interest in vernacular architecture grew. In 1982, the Architectural Preservation Advisory Committee was formed to provide advice on proper rehabilitation methods for historic architecture and to suggest alternatives instead of demolishing endangered buildings. Between 1979-1984, the Trust produced the forty-six volume Historic Resources Survey which provides a detailed description of 4,600 New Haven buildings. It is actively used as a reference guide for neighborhood improvement and residential and commercial restoration and development to this day.

Since 1962, The Trust's Standards Committee has been awarding plaques to recognize buildings of historical and architectural significance and those that have been thoughtfully restored or have been adaptively reused.

In recent years, the Trust has worked to increase public awareness of New Haven's rich architectural and cultural heritage. Through its publications, house & walking tours, heritage workshops, lectures, clinics, annual awards, and ongoing dialogue, The Trust attempts to educate citizens, property owners, and government officials about the important benefits to the community that the preservation movement provides now and for the future.