Hillhouse Avenue
Encyclopedia
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
and Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
as "the most beautiful street in America," , is in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
and is home to many nineteenth century mansions including the president's house at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Much of the avenue is included in the Hillhouse Avenue Historic District, which extends to include houses on adjacent streets.
History
The avenue is named for James HillhouseJames Hillhouse
James Hillhouse was an American lawyer, real estate developer, and politician from New Haven, Connecticut. He represented Connecticut in both the U.S. House and Senate...
(1743–1832) (and his son James Abraham Hillhouse, 1789–1841), innovator in land use in New Haven, who began the program of tree planting that gave New Haven its nickname, The Elm City, and who laid out the Trumbull Plan for Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
and the Grove Street Cemetery.
Hillhouse Avenue was initially called Temple Avenue, and was staked out, 150 feet (45.7 m) wide, by Hillhouse employee, and later Yale president, Jeremiah Day
Jeremiah Day
Jeremiah Day was an American academic, a Congregational minister and President of Yale College .-Early life:Day was the son of Rev...
, in 1792. The avenue ran from the Green
New Haven Green
The New Haven Green is a privately owned park and recreation area located in the downtown district of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It comprises the central square of the nine-square settlement plan of the original Puritan colonists in New Haven, and was designed and surveyed by colonist...
at Temple Street to a hilltop location where James Abraham Hillhouse built the family mansion, Highwood (later called Sachem's Wood), in 1828. The houses along the wide avenue were set back with room for trees creating a park-like effect. The elms which once shaded the street were lost to Dutch Elm disease
Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease is a disease caused by a member of the sac fungi category, affecting elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease has been accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native...
, but mature oak trees have largely taken their place.
The avenue was privately owned until 1862. Because of the nature of the street, its lots, and its orientation to the nine-square-grid of New Haven (the nation's first planned city), Hillhouse Avenue is sometimes considered to be the first suburb in the United States.
The Hillhouse mansion was razed in 1942 in accordance with a directive in the will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
of James Abraham Hillhouse's daughter, Isaphene. In time, Hillhouse Avenue came to be divided into an upper, residential area, and a lower portion for public buildings and the Farmington Canal
Farmington Canal
The Farmington Canal, also known as the New Haven and Northampton Canal, was a major private canal built in the early 19th century to provide water transportation from New Haven into the interior of Connecticut, Massachusetts and beyond. Its Massachusetts segment was known as the Hampshire and...
. It is now just two blocks long, running from Grove to Sachem. The upper portion of the avenue, along with the adjacent blocks (and the Dana House), was designated the Hillhouse Avenue Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Buildings
Yale now owns all of the properties on Hillhouse Avenue except for St. Mary's ChurchSt. Mary's Church, New Haven
The Church of St. Mary, New Haven, Connecticut, United States, is the parish church of the second oldest Roman Catholic parish in Connecticut. The parish was established in 1832. The Knights of Columbus was founded here in 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney, who was then the church's assistant pastor...
and its parish house. Many of the mansions of the upper area have been converted for use by the economics department, Cowles Foundation
Cowles Foundation
The Cowles Commission for Research in Economics is an economic research institute, founded in Colorado Springs in 1932 by Alfred Cowles, a businessman and economist. In 1939, the Cowles Commission moved to the University of Chicago under the directorship of Theodore O. Yntema. Jacob Marschak took...
, School of Management
Yale School of Management
The Yale School of Management is the graduate business school of Yale University and is located on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. The School offers Master of Business Administration and Ph.D. degree programs. As of January 2011, 454 students were enrolled in its MBA...
, and other academic departments, and have been completely restored. Lower Hillhouse primarily includes university buildings, a number of them formerly part of the Sheffield Scientific School
Sheffield Scientific School
Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffield, the railroad executive. The school was...
. There are several houses designed by architects Ithiel Town
Ithiel Town
Ithiel Town was a prominent American architect and civil engineer. One of the first generation of professional architects in the United States, Town made significant contributions to American architecture in the first half of the 19th century. He was high-strung, sophisticated, generous,...
, Henry Austin
Henry Austin (architect)
Henry Austin was a prominent and prolific American architect based in New Haven, Connecticut. He practiced for more than fifty years and designed many public buildings and homes primarily in the New Haven area...
and Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis, or A. J. Davis , was one of the most successful and influential American architects of his generation, in particular his association with the Gothic Revival style....
. The area at the end of the avenue where Hillhouse's mansion stood is now part of the Science Hill section of Yale's campus.
Notable buildings on Hillhouse Avenue that are included in the historic district are:
- James Dwight Dana HouseJames Dwight Dana HouseThe James Dwight Dana House, also known as the Dana House, is a historic 19th century Italianate house in New Haven, Connecticut in the United States. This building, designed by New Haven architect Henry Austin on Hillhouse Avenue, was the home of Yale University geology professor, James Dwight Dana...
, designed by Henry Austin, built 1845-1848. Home to the Yale Statistics Department for many years, and listed as a U.S. National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance... - Mary Prichard House, 1836. This Greek revival design by Alexander Jackson Davis includes a two-story Corinthian porch with white columns. It is also known as the Provost's House and has been used to house Yale administration.
- Henry Farnum House, Russell SturgisRussell SturgisRussell Sturgis was an American architect and art criticof the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870.-Early life and marriage:...
, 1871. Redesigned with Victorian features removed in 1934. It has been the home of Yale's presidents since 1937. - John Pitkin NortonJohn Pitkin NortonJohn Pitkin Norton was a noted educator, agricultural chemist, and author. He was born in Albany, New York....
House (Steinbach Hall, Yale School of Management), 1849. Tuscan/Italian Villa on Hillhouse Avenue designed by Henry AustinHenry Austin (architect)Henry Austin was a prominent and prolific American architect based in New Haven, Connecticut. He practiced for more than fifty years and designed many public buildings and homes primarily in the New Haven area...
. - Charles Henry Farnam House, J. Cleaveland CadyJ. Cleaveland CadyJ Cleaveland Cady was a New York-based architect whose most familiar surviving building is the south range of the American Museum of Natural History on New York's Upper West Side...
, 1884. Queen Anne style. - Pelitiah Perit (Horchow Hall, Yale School of Management), Sidney Mason Stone, 1859. Renaissance revival/Tuscan.
- Graves-Dwight House, 1862. This villa is now used by the Yale Anthropology Department.
- Apthorp House (Evans Hall, Yale School of Management), Town and Davis, 1836 (with extensive subsequent remodeling).
- Skinner House (Yale International Center of Finance), Town and Davis, 1832. Landmark Greek Revival.
- Graves-Gilman House (now 37 Hillhouse), 1866. Victorian Italian Villa. Home of Sheffield professor, Daniel Coit GilmanDaniel Coit GilmanDaniel Coit Gilman was an American educator and academician, who was instrumental in founding the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale College, and who subsequently served as one of the earliest presidents of the University of California, the first president of Johns Hopkins University, and as...
. Converted into apartments for married Yale students (1946–1957). George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. BushGeorge Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
lived here while he was a student and his sonGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
lived here until the age of two. Now used by the Yale Department of Economics. - Abigail Whelpey House, 1826. The oldest house standing on Hillhouse. This Federal structure was altered in the 1860s with a mansard roof and dormer windows by Noah PorterNoah PorterNoah Porter, Jr. was an American academic, philosopher, author, lexicographer and President of Yale College .-Biography:...
, later President of Yale. The house, now known as Allwin Hall, has served as a residence for Yale administrators.
Buildings on lower Hillhouse Avenue, outside of the historic district, include:
- Cloister Hall (now Warner House), 1888. Brownstone building originally served the Book and SnakeBook and SnakeThe Society of Book and Snake is the fourth oldest secret society at Yale University. Book and Snake was founded at the Sheffield Scientific School in 1863 as a three-year society bearing the Greek letters Sigma Delta Chi...
fraternity of the Sheffield School. - Kirtland Hall, Dunham Laboratory, Mason Laboratory, Leet Oliver Memorial Hall. Yale University buildings originally part of the Sheffield Scientific School.
- St. Mary's ChurchSt. Mary's Church, New HavenThe Church of St. Mary, New Haven, Connecticut, United States, is the parish church of the second oldest Roman Catholic parish in Connecticut. The parish was established in 1832. The Knights of Columbus was founded here in 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney, who was then the church's assistant pastor...
and parish house. - Sheffield-Town Mansion. Ithiel TownIthiel TownIthiel Town was a prominent American architect and civil engineer. One of the first generation of professional architects in the United States, Town made significant contributions to American architecture in the first half of the 19th century. He was high-strung, sophisticated, generous,...
, 1836. Additions for Joseph Earl SheffieldJoseph Earl SheffieldJoseph Earl Sheffield was an American railroad magnate and philanthropist.Sheffield was born in Southport, Connecticut, the son of Paul King Sheffield, a shipowner, and his wife Mabel . He attended public schools, and moved south to enter the cotton trade...
by Henry Austin in 1859. Razed in 1957. - Yale University Collection of Musical InstrumentsYale University Collection of Musical InstrumentsThe Yale University Collection of Musical Instruments is a museum at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The collection of musical instruments was established in 1900 by the gift of historic keyboard instruments by Morris Steinert and later enriched in 1960 and 1962 by gifts from the Skinner...
, 1895. RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
structure built originally for the Alpha Delta PhiAlpha Delta PhiAlpha Delta Phi is a Greek-letter social college fraternity and the fourth-oldest continuous Greek-letter fraternity in the United States and Canada. Alpha Delta Phi was founded on October 29, 1832 by Samuel Eells at Hamilton College and includes former U.S. Presidents, Chief Justices of the U.S....
fraternity.
Significant properties not on Hillhouse Avenue, but included in the historic district, include:
- Russell Henry Chittenden HouseRussell Henry Chittenden HouseRussell Henry Chittenden House is a historic home in New Haven, Connecticut. It was the home of Russell Henry Chittenden from 1887 to 1943. Chittenden, known as the "father of American biochemistry", was a professor at Yale University...
, at 83 Trumbull Street, listed as a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. - Wolf's HeadWolf's Head (secret society)Wolf's Head Society is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. Membership is recomposed annually of fifteen or sixteen Yale University students, typically juniors from the college...
, built in 1883, designed by McKim, Mead & White, Richardsonian RomanesqueRichardsonian RomanesqueRichardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
with stepped end gables, former home of Wolf's Head Society. - William Lyon Phelps House, 1908–1909, at 110 Whitney Avenue, Colonial Revival
- a second William Lyon Phelps House, 1914, at 114 Whitney Avenue, designed by J. Frederick KellyJ. Frederick KellyJ. Frederick Kelly was an American architect who has designed significant houses. Kelly was regarded as the leading architectural historian in Connecticut....
, "one of New Haven's finest Colonial Revival-style structures"
Sources
- Holden, Reuben A., Yale: A Pictorial History, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1967.
- Pinnell, Patrick L., Yale University: The Campus Guide, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 1999.
- Kelley, Brooks Mather, New Haven Heritage, New Haven Preservation Trust, 1974.
- Hillhouse Avenue Historic District, New Haven Preservation Trust
External links
- Hillhouse Avenue Historic District, New Haven Preservation Trust website (text adapted from NRHP nomination, plus gallery of 11 photos)