Yale University

Yale architecture

Although most of the Yale buildings have a Gothic architecture similar to that of Cambridge or Oxford universities, and appear to be hundreds of years old, in fact they were built during the period 1917-1931. Stone sculpture built into the walls of the buildings make this apparent; they portray contemporary college personalities such as a writer, an athlete, a tea-drinking socialite, and a student who has fallen asleep while reading. Similarly, the decorative friezes on the buildings depict contemporary scenes such as policemen chasing a robber and arresting a prostitute (on the wall of the Law School), or a student relaxing with a mug of beer and a cigarette. The architect, James Gamble Rogers, added to the appearance of great age of these buildings by splashing the walls with acidhttp://www.yaleherald.com/article.php?Article=3566, deliberately breaking their leaded glass windows and repairing them in the style of the Middle Ages, and creating niches for decorative statuary but leaving them empty to simulate loss or theft over the ages. In fact, the buildings merely simulate Middle Ages architecture, for though they appear to be constructed of solid stone blocks in the authentic manner, most actually have steel framing as was commonly used in 1930. One exception is Harkness Tower, 216 feet tall, which was, when built, the tallest free-standing stone structure in the world. It was reinforced in 1964 however, in order to allow for the installation of the Yale Memorial Carillon.

Related Topics:
Gothic architecture - Cambridge - Oxford - Frieze - James Gamble Rogers - Leaded glass - Middle Ages - Harkness Tower - Carillon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The truly old buildings on campus, paradoxically, are built in the Georgian style and appear much more modern. This includes the oldest building on campus, Connecticut Hall (built in 1750). Of the buildings constructed in the 1929-1933 period, the ones in the Georgian style include Timothy Dwight College, Pierson College, and the interior of Davenport College.

Related Topics:
Georgian style - Connecticut Hall - 1750 - Timothy Dwight College - Pierson College - Davenport College

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, is the largest building in the world reserved exclusively for the preservation of rare books and manuscripts. It is located near the center of the University in Hewitt Quadrangle, which is now more commonly referred to as "Beinecke Plaza." The library's six-story above-ground tower of book stacks is surrounded by a windowless rectangular building with walls made of translucent Vermont marble, which transmit subdued lighting to the interior and provide protection from direct light, while glowing from within after dark. The sculptures in the sunken courtyard by Isamu Noguchi are said to represent time (the pyramid), the sun (the circle), and chance (the cube).

Related Topics:
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library - Gordon Bunshaft - Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill - Hewitt Quadrangle - Beinecke Plaza - Isamu Noguchi

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Notable Nonresidential Campus Buildings

• Sterling Memorial Library
• Harkness Tower
• Woolsey Hall
• Beinecke Rare Book Library
• British Art Center
• Payne Whitney Gymnasium
• Ingalls Rink
• Battell Chapel
• Yale School of Architecture
• Osborne Memorial Laboratories
• Sterling Hall of Medicine
• Kline Biology Tower
• Peabody Museum