The “Long Walk” at Trinity College in Hartford consists of the two long structures of Seabury Hall and Jarvis Hall (named for the first two Episcopal Bishops of Connecticut), on either side of the central block of Northam Towers, named for Col. Charles H. Northam. In the 1870s, with the new state capitol building being constructed at the location of Trinity’s former campus in downtown Hartford, Trinity moved to its new Gallows Hill campus to the southwest. William Burges, a prominent English architect, created a master plan for the new campus. Burges, based in England, never came to Hartford to view the site. His ambitious plan of interconnected quadrangles, designed in 1873-74, was brought back to Hartford by Francis H. Kimball, who would supervise the actual construction. With available resources being far less than required to realize Burges‘s plan, Kimball adapted elements from it in 1875 for a reduced scheme. That year, construction began on Seabury and Jarvis Halls, completed in 1878. Northam Tower was completed in 1883. These were the only structures from the Burges plan to be built. The Long Walk is a famous example of the High Victorian Collegiate Gothic style, with gothic arches and dormers and polychromatic masonry. Trinity College recently completed a restoration and updating of the Long Walk buildings. A current exhibit, at Trinity’s Watkinson Library, provides a more in-depth look at the original construction and features original plans for the buildings.
Yale Divinity School (1931)
As Yale University expanded and acquired property along Prospect Street in New Haven, it became possible to design new campus quadrangles. The buildings of the Yale Divinity School were constructed in 1931 and designed by the architectural firm of Delano & Aldrich of New York. While based on Thomas Jefferson‘s plan for the University of Virginia, the Yale Divinity School quadrangle has much harder lines and sharper angles.
Sterling Memorial Library (1927)
Designed by James Gamble Rogers to resemble a Gothic cathedral, but with a sixteen-story tower of book stacks, Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library is an imposing structure with rich ornamentation. Construction began in 1927 and the building was completed in 1930. There have been various additions made to the library over the years, including the 1968-1971 construction of the underground Cross Campus Library (now renamed the Bass Library). In 1992, the section of High Street in front of the library was closed to vehicles and was landscaped.
Harkness Memorial Tower (1917)
The most recognizable structure at Yale University is the Harkness Memorial Tower. Designed by James Gamble Rogers, with ornamentation by the sculptor, Lee Lawrie, the Gothic-style tower has long stood as a symbol for Yale. It was constructed between 1917 and 1921 and was donated by Anna M. Harkness in honor of her deceased son, Charles William Harkness, Yale class of 1883. Rodgers, who designed many buildings at Yale in the Collegiate Gothic style, was also the architect for the Harkness family. He said the design for the Tower was inspired by the 15th-century tower of “Boston Stump,” the parish church of Saint Botolph in Boston, England. Apparently, the often told story that Harkness Tower was once the tallest freestanding stone structure in the world is a myth. Inside, the Tower contains the Yale Memorial Carillon, which was originally installed in 1922 and expanded in 1964. It is played by Yale University Guild of Carillonneurs.
Hendrie Hall (1894)
Hendrie Hall, named in honor of John William Hendrie, was originally built in two sections to house Yale’s Law School. The earlier rear section was built in 1894 and the remainder in 1900. Designed by the architects Cady, Berg & See of New York in the Renaissance Revival style, with a facade resembling a Venetian palazzo, Hendrie Hall was intended to be the first of several grand Yale buildings along Elm Street. In the end, these were never built and the street’s much older wooden houses have survived. Since the Law School moved in 1931, the building has served various purposes and currently houses student music groups and offices.
Also, check out today’s entry at Historic Buildings of Massachusetts: Boston’s Old City Hall of 1865!
UCONN School of Law (1926)
Originally the campus of the Hartford Seminary, the Collegiate Gothic-style buildings of the University of Connecticut’s School of Law are located along Fern Street and Girard Avenue in Hartford. The land was purchased by the Seminary in 1913 and the original buildings were constructed in 1922-1926, designed by the firm of Allen & Collens, architects of New York’s Riverside Church. In 1978, the state authorized $6 million for the Law School, founded in 1921, to purchase and renovate the campus. The Seminary moved to a new adjacent building and the Law School occupied the old campus in 1984. In 1996 a new library was constructed on the campus, which has recently been revealed to have significant structural problems.
First President’s House, Wesleyan University (1837)
A house on High Street in Middletown was constructed in 1837-8 in the Greek Revival style to serve as home for Wilbur Fisk the first president of Wesleyan University. It served as a house for Wesleyan’s presidents until 1904 and then as the Dean’s House until 1967. It is currently the Center for the Americas, housing the departments of American Studies and Latin American Studies.