New Haven History

Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall // 1931

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Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall, a handsome Collegiate/Neo-Gothic Revival style building at the corner of Prospect and Grove streets, was built in 1931-1932 as three, interconnected buildings in a single composition. Architect, Clarence C. Zantzinger, designed the building, with its facade dominated by a 11-story corner tower flanked by four-story wings. The building replaced the Old Sheffield Hall (later known as South Sheffield), originally a hotel built by James Abraham Hillhouse around 1820, which later served as the Yale Medical Institution, later renovated and expanded for the Sheffield Scientific School, which officially merged with Yale University in 1956. The new building is named for its historic connections with the Sheffield Scientific School, also following donations by John W. Sterling and Lord Strathcona. Steel-framed and clad with Indiana limestone, the building commands the prominent corner site.

Old Wolf’s Head Society Building // 1884

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The Wolf’s Head was established in 1883 as one of Yale’s secret societies. It was intended as an alternative to the more established Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key societies, and it made a statement when it completed this clubhouse in 1884. The handsome Richardsonian Romanesque clubhouse at the corner of Prospect and Trumbull streets in New Haven was designed by the firm of McKim, Mead and White, which would go on to become one of the leading architectural firms in the country during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The rough-faced brownstone structure was historically covered in climbing ivy, adding to the building’s mysterious nature. Wolf’s Head made it their home from 1884 until 1924 when the building was sold to the University and Wolf’s Head moved to new quarters on York Street. The building was rented to clubs for years until the early 1960s, when it started to be used for faculty offices, staff and classrooms. The building was added onto and today, the old Wolf’s Head is used by the Institution for Social and Policy Studies.

James Dwight Dana House // 1849

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The James Dwight Dana House at 24 Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, is a landmark early example of an Italianate style residence designed by a famed 19th century architect. Built in 1849 from plans by architect Henry Austin, the house was constructed for owner, James Dwight Dana (1813-1895) and his new wife, Henrietta Silliman and possibly funded by her father, Benjamin Silliman, a Yale professor who was considered “The Father of Science in America”. James Dwight Dana’s education in geology, in addition to his studies with his father-in-law, Professor Silliman, extended to the four-year United States Exploring Expedition between 1838–1842), in which Dana served as the staff geologist and mineralogist, exposing him to a wide-ranging variety of geological formations and minerals. Upon his return to New Haven, he married Silliman’s daughter and then moved into this stately home. Later in his career, Dana was responsible for developing much of the early knowledge on Hawaiian volcanism. In 1880 and 1881 he led the first geological study of Hawaii. The James Dwight Dana House has a three-bay front facade, with a single-story porch extending across its width, supported by wooden columns with unique capitals. The shallow roof has broad, overhanging eaves sheltering a unique corbelled brick cornice. The building was added onto in 1905 with similar architecture and was purchased by Yale in 1962. Today, the building is preserved by the University and houses the Institution for Social & Policy Studies (ISPS).

Charles H. Farnam Mansion // 1884

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Charles Henry Farnam (1846-1909) was a lawyer, genealogist, and the son of Henry Farnam, a wealthy railroad industrialist in New Haven, Connecticut. Following his father’s death in 1883, Charles, who may have inherited a small fortune in the will, purchased a house lot on the finest residential street in New Haven, Hillhouse Avenue. The existing house on the lot, the Benjamin Silliman House, was relocated to front Trumbull Street (and recently relocated again to 85 Trumbull Street), clearing the site for his new mansion. He hired esteemed architect J. Cleaveland Cady, who designed a large, Queen Anne/Romanesque masonry home unlike anything else on the Avenue. The house features an asymmetrical plan, corner tower, a Flemish style gable, fancy brickwork and terracotta detailing, and a slate mansard roof. Charles H. Farnam would sell the property to Henry S. Parmelee, a noted businessman and piano manufacturer, who also is credited with inventing the first automated sprinkler head and as a result, owning the first building in the United States to be equipped with a fire suppression system, his piano factory. Parmelee hired local architect Leoni Robinson, to design a rear addition for the house. Parmelee died in 1902, and the property was maintained by his widow and daughter, until it was acquired by Yale University in 1920. Today, the Farnam Mansion is occupied by the Economics Department.

Norton Mansion – Steinbach Hall // 1849

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John Pitkin Norton (1822-1852) was a successful educator, chemist, and author, who at just 27-years-old, built this stately mansion on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, for his young family. John P. Norton studied chemistry under Benjamin Silliman at Yale College, and was eventually appointed Professor of Agricultural Chemistry at Yale in 1846. He helped to found the Department of Philosophy and the Arts at Yale College and authored many scientific papers, dealing with the chemistry of crops. Coming from an established family and beginning a successful career himself, John hired New Haven-based architect, Henry Austin, to design this large, Italianate villa. The window surrounds, canopies, and flamboyant Moorish entryway are typical of Austin, with the general form and detailing taking cues from architect Alexander Jackson Davis‘ work. The Norton Mansion was purchased by Yale University in 1923 and was long the home to the Yale School of Management and is now occupied by the Jackson School of Global Affairs.

Skinner-Boardman Mansion // 1832

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One of the finest houses in New Haven is this stately residence, the Aaron Skinner Mansion on Hillhouse Avenue. The mansion was built in 1832 for Aaron Nichols Skinner (1800-1858) from plans by architect Alexander Jackson Davis. Skinner was a Mayor of New Haven (1850-1854), and for a short time, ran a boy’s boarding school out of this house. Skinner was also a CT State Representative, serving two terms. The house was originally built as a three-bay, two-story house with one-story side wings and a rear ell. After his death, the house was purchased by Judge William W. Boardman, who in 1859, modernized the property hiring architect, Henry Austin, who filled in the side wings and added Italianate window mouldings. The monumental portico supported by fluted, Ionic columns, creates such a stately presence for the early house on the street. In the early 20th century, the mansion was owned by Rutherford Trowbridge, who renovated the house for his own use. The house remained in the Trowbridge family until the death of his last daughter, Miss C. Rachel Trowbridge, when the estate became the property of Yale University.

Wheeler-English House // 1884

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In about 1884, Edwin Saxton Wheeler purchased a house lot on the desirable suburban neighborhood on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, and began constructing an ornate, brick Queen Anne/Romanesque Revival style home there. In 1887, creditors went after Mr. Wheeler’s assets and the property was sold to Civil War General, Alfred Howe Terry. General Terry died in 1890 and the property remained under the ownership of heis heirs until around 1908 when the property was purchased and fully renovated by Lewis H. English. At this time, the ornate brick and terracotta detailing was largely covered by stucco siding, creating the clean facades we see today. The residence was purchased in 1954 by Yale University, and it now houses the Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics.

Farnam House – Yale President’s House // 1871

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In 1871, wealthy engineer and philanthropist, Henry Farnam (1803-1883), purchased a house lot on the desirable Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, where he would live out his final days in retirement. Mr. Farnam made his fortune beginning in 1839, when he was instrumental in building the railroad connecting New Haven to New York. In 1850, he moved to Illinois where he partnered with Joseph E. Sheffield to build the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, becoming that railroad’s president in 1854. In 1868, Farnam moved back to New Haven when he hired Russell Sturgis, Jr., to design and oversee construction on his home there. Henry Farnam also worked with Sturgis on Farnam Hall at Yale, where he is the benefactor and namesake of the building. Henry Farnam died in 1883, and in his will, he stipulated that he would gift his property to Yale College under the condition that his son, Henry W. Farnam, could live there until his death. Henry Walcott Farnam was an economist, and served as president of the American Economic Association. In 1933, the property ownership was officially transferred to Yale University, who in 1936, renovated the property, changing its appearance from Victorian Gothic to Colonial Revival. Architects, Richard A. Kimball and Ellery Husted furnished the designs for the stately residence. Since that time, the Farnam House has served as the residence of the Yale President.

Abigail Whelpley House // c.1826

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The oldest extant building on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven is this Federal-period house with later Victorian-era modifications. The Abigail Whelpley House was built by 1826 (with some estimates as early as 1800 and moved to the site) and was a traditional, five-bay, two-story Federal style residence. It is said that the house was built by James Abraham Hillhouse (1789-1841) for his widowed family member, Ms. Whelpley, and her two sons. As of 1849, the property was owned by Noah Porter, later President of Yale, who would alter the house in the 1860s with the addition of a mansard roof and trim, all designed by architect, Henry Austin. The house, now known as Allwin Hall, is maintained by Yale University and contains offices for the program on Ethics, Politics & Economics.

Pritchard House // 1836

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One of the earliest houses built on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, is this stately Greek Revival mansion with monumental portico. The house was built in 1836 for Mary Pritchard from plans by great American architect, Alexander Jackson Davis. The mansion is two stories and is constructed of brick and stucco with a distinct two-story portico supported by fluted Corinthian columns. The architect also may have designed a barn at the rear of the house for Ms. Pritchard. Like many other former residences on Hillhouse Avenue, the house was acquired by Yale University, and is now the house of the Provost.