Yale College

Yale University – Vanderbilt Hall // 1894

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Like many other buildings on campus, Vanderbilt Hall is named for its wealthy sponsors, but its foundation is one of family tragedy. One of Yale’s stunning Collegiate Gothic structures, the building is named after William Henry Vanderbilt II (1870-1892), who attended Yale in the early 1890s. William contracted typhoid fever from a water pump while touring the western United States and died during his junior year. His father, railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, constructed Vanderbilt Hall in 1894 as a memorial to his son and donated it to the University. The highly prized Vanderbilt room, which is located above the archway, is apparently one of the finest residential spaces on the campus. Architect Charles C. Haight designed the building which enclosed the southern edge of the yard, created a gateway, and is one of the early architectural statement pieces for the campus in the Collegiate Gothic style. Haight would receive later commissions at Yale based on his work on Vanderbilt Hall.

Yale University – McClellan Hall // 1924

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Located in the Old Campus Courtyard of Yale University, McClellan Hall stands as an early example of Colonial Revival on the college’s campus. Built in 1924 across from and as a conscious reproduction of the 1752 Connecticut Hall, McClellan Hall adds to the architectural diversity of the Yard, providing some warm red brick to the mix. The building was constructed thanks to a financial gift to Yale by Helen Mynderse McClellan in memory of her late husband Edwin McClellan (1861-1924), Yale ’84. The college hired architect Walter B. Chambers, who would design the building to provide symmetry in the yard against the one Georgian building there, Connecticut Hall. This was following a recommendation by campus architect James Gamble Rogers who advocated for this, stating that the Colonial style was enhanced by symmetrical groupings. The dormitory, which became known as “Hush Hall”, was a secret until workers began digging in the Yard. The decidedly Gothic style campus was disrupted by the Colonial building, which was more Harvard than Yale, and protest began by some students and faculty. President Angell would have to suspend construction for two months to allow the furor to die-down. Today, McClellan Hall is an important visual aspect of the yard, providing a beautiful tapestry of styles within the enclosed space.

Yale University – Connecticut Hall // 1752

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Welcome to Yale! When Yale College, one of the nine Colonial Colleges moved to New Haven in 1718, a wooden building was soon constructed and known as the College House. By 1747, the College House held less than half of the college’s enrolled students, and college president Thomas Clap announced that funds would be raised from the Colony of Connecticut for a “new College House” of three stories. The design followed the traditional Georgian appearance of Harvard College’s Massachusetts Hall, but by the 1790s, it was already outdated. The building was threatened with demolition, but Connecticut Hall was instead given an additional story and a new gambrel roof by 1820, being incorporated into the Brick Row, fronting the Green along College Street. But by the middle of the century the Brick Row was out of style and Connecticut Hall was being described as “dilapidated, scabby and malodorous.” After the Civil War Yale decided to raze all its old Georgian architecture and redevelop the West side of the Green with larger and more modern buildings. Luckily for us, by the 1890’s the Colonial Revival style was booming in popularity and before Connecticut Hall could be demolished, a group of alumni organized to save and restore it. Connecticut Hall stands today as the third-oldest of only seven surviving American colonial-era college buildings, and the second-oldest structure built for Yale College in New Haven (the oldest exant). It was built, in part, by at least five enslaved Africans, including one of whom was owned by Yale president Thomas Clap.