Be they straitlaced brick edifices or towers crowned with gothic spirals, modern glass and metal structures, or contemporary creations in a classic style, the buildings that comprise Yale University are an integral part of the ever-evolving New Haven landscape. The long, sometimes rocky, architectural history of the Yale campus and the city where the University makes its home was just one of the topics explored in an April 9-11 conference sponsored by the School of Architecture. The event, which was titled "Yale Constructs: Planning and Building for the University's Fourth Century," also featured talks by University officials and architects about new facilities and renovation projects, as well as prospects for the future. The conference began with a lecture by Vincent Scully, Sterling Professor Emeritus of the History of Art, who traced Yale's nearly three centuries of history in New Haven, described the major changes in both the campus and the city during those years, and explained how the architecture of each inspired, and was inspired by, the other. Yale is just "one product of the transcendent vision that shaped New Haven" in the form of a nine-square grid with a green in the center, Scully told the packed Law School auditorium. When the Collegiate School that had been founded by Congregationalist ministers in 1701 was searching for a new site, New Haven successfully bid against Hartford to lure the school to the shoreline by offering it the best site in town, explained Scully. The Yale College House -- named for British merchant Elihu Yale, whose gift helped finance its construction -- was built in 1718. It was a wooden structure about 150 feet long, which was set back from the road, with a long yard in front. "It was the biggest building in the town. It was enormous," said Scully, who used slides to illustrate his talk. "There's a sense that it's open to the community, but it tends to dominate the landscape." As the college expanded and built more facilities, it began to erect barriers between itself and the city, said Scully, citing as examples the Yale Fence and the row of Old Campus buildings that still lines College Street, which the art historian described as "a fortification and a wall." Eventually, he noted, the University became "a place of secret gardens dominated by secret societies." One campus facility that did unite town and gown, at least for a time, was the Yale Bowl, which for years brought together crowds of University students and New Haveners, who shared a love of Bulldog football, said Scully. Many times in his talk, Scully expressed his belief that Yale needs to become more integrated with and accessible to the New Haven community. He concluded his speech by saying, "This is an urban university, with its future involved in the future of the town. It is easy for us, of course, to identify our obsession and our need for secrecy, and it is easy for us, too, to honor our commitment to teaching and learning, to make connections with other universities all over the world. It is harder for us to make a physical contact with a more heterogeneous community, which is that of our city." A look backward. The conference also included a look at "Lost Yale" by architectural historian Catherine Lynn, who discussed the Yale structures that have been torn down over the centuries -- from the original Yale College House and the buildings known as Old Brick Row, which occupied the same site, to facilities erected in more recent years. One Yale building, Osborn Hall (1888-1926), located on the current site of Bingham Hall, was almost universally censured, said Lynn, both for its ostentatious exterior and for the inadequacy of its classroom facilities. She noted that the hall's architect, Bruce Price, once said, "The purpose of a building is secondary to its architecture" -- a comment that elicited groans from the audience. Lynn also pointed in her lecture to many "lost interiors" on campus, noting that the inside of Yale's oldest structure, Connecticut Hall (built between 1750 and 1753), has been renovated so many times over the years that it no longer reflects the original design. She also discussed "lost landscapes and plantings," such as Sachem Wood, which is now represented by just a scattering of trees on Science Hill. The conference also included presentations by the architects who helped lay the plans for the restoration and renovation of such historic Yale buildings as Berkeley, Branford and Saybrook colleges, Sterling Law Buildings, Linsly-Chittenden Hall, Rose Alumni House addition, Sterling Memorial Library and Sterling Divinity Quadrangle. The designers discussed both the rationale behind their work and the controversy that has occasionally been ignited by their visions. Future prospects. These talks were followed by a session titled "Planning for the Future," which featured an introduction by Joseph P. Mullinix, vice president for finance and administration. When exploring the future of Yale's facilities, said Mullinix, one important factor to consider is that "a lot of these buildings are not easy to renovate." He cited as an example Payne Whitney Gymnasium, "which has 500,000 square feet and one regulation-sized basketball court." While there are several squash courts that might have been converted into basketball courts, they weren't long enough, and "it's not easy to move a stone wall even a foot," said Mullinix, noting that the Lanman Center that was recently added to the gym features four regulation basketball courts. Noting that the Yale leadership is "very serious about its commitment to our buildings," Mullinix said the University has begun "to lay the course for the future" by developing a "long-term, phased plan, with projects that we can initiate and stop at any point." This is being accomplished both through the development of an overarching "Campus Framework," as well as more-focused planning efforts for the University landscape, Science Hill and the arts area. Alexander Cooper of Cooper, Robertson & Partners, who has headed the effort to create the "Framework for Campus Planning," noted that one of the unique challenges in planning future strategies for Yale facilities is the sprawling nature of the University itself. He noted that the campus is "two miles long and a half-mile wide" with "five miles of perimeter that borders five different communities within New Haven. ... No other campus in the Ivy League is this urbanized." Among the major issues Cooper's firm has been investigating is possible areas for expansion of campus facilities. He noted that they've identified 80 potential sites on the current campus for new buildings or open spaces, and are looking at sites within the city that might eventually be good purchases for the University. Parking is another major area Cooper's firm has been investigating. "Yale has enough parking," contended the architect. "It just happens to be in the wrong places. We have to find a way to match demand with supply." Signage of Yale buildings, the interplay of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and lighting are other major concerns being considered, said Cooper. Linked landscapes. In his talk, "Managing the Landscape," Laurie Olin of Olin Partnership noted that, while landscapes are usually thought of as static, "constant change is really part of their condition. ... We think they're natural, but the truth is that a landscape is not natural, it's an act of will, the result of human effort. ... Yale's landscape is inextricably linked to that of New Haven -- any change in one affects the other." Like many other presenters that day, Olin referred to the loss of hundreds of elm trees in the city to Dutch Elm disease earlier this century as one of the biggest factors in how the campus landscape has changed in recent years. He noted that in developing strategic plans for the future of Yale's landscape, his firm is considering not only the "topological" problems associated with the University's many courtyards, quads and gardens, but the "geographic" issues raised by the interweaving of the campus and the city. Other featured speakers at the "Yale Constructs" conference included Alan Chimacoff of The Hillier Group, who described efforts to "keep scientists connected horizontally, rather than vertically" on Science Hill; James Stewart Polshek of Polshek & Partners, who talked about the future of the facilities in Yale's arts area, which he described as "that part of campus which comes closest to touching the public"; and Bruce Alexander, vice president and director of the Office of New Haven and State Affairs, who talked about Yale's partnerships with the City of New Haven in the areas of economic development, neighborhood stabilization, enhancing the downtown area and changing public perception about the city. The conference included a tour of five new or recently renovated facilties -- Sterling Memorial Library, the Lanman Center at Payne Whitney Gym, Linsly-Chittenden Hall, New Residence Hall and the Sterling Law Buildings -- as well as talks by the architects who oversaw those projects. It also featured discussions by the designers of such new initiatives as the Child Study Center, the Environmental Science Facility, Gilder Boat House on the Housatonic River in Derby and the future home of the School of Art (the former Jewish Community Center). Yale's architectural stewardship. The conference concluded with remarks by President Richard C. Levin, who pointed out that nearly 90 percent of the 11 million square feet of space on campus was built in the 20th century. Levin acknowledged that, during its long history, the University has at times made mistakes about its physical facilities -- most notably in its policy of "deferred maintenance," which began in 1945 and continued for the next 40 years. During that time, said Levin, the University spent only between $5 million to $10 million annually (in 1999 dollars) on the upkeep and modernization of its physical plant -- an economic decision that resulted in deteriorating buildings and outdated facilities. By comparison, this fiscal year alone Yale will spend $200 million on renovation and construction projects, he said, and the University expects to continue that level of commitment in the upcoming years. "We're doing this because we cherish our heritage," explained the President."But, more importantly, we're doing it because we want these buildings to make an even more powerful contribution to life and to study here. "Our mission is to make Yale a better place, to make its programs stronger, to serve and support its students and its faculty. We are also stewards of a great building legacy," he continued. "The projects we've done, the choices and the compromises that we've made in preserving the past and securing the future, I believe, have been made well and made responsibly. But they are hard choices. ... There will always be inevitable tensions between the preservation of the 'best of the best' and the transformation of the environment in order to improve future possibilities ... We're inevitably going to have to make some hard calls. ... "We'll continue to try to be good stewards. We'll remain mindful that our choices have long-lived, although not eternal, consequences," said Levin, concluding his remarks with a quote from Yale English professor William Lyons Phelps: "[L]ong after [our] bones are dust, long after [we] have left this planet, these gracious and lovely buildings will continue to cast their charm." -- By LuAnn Bishop T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S Yale SOM expands faculty with even new appointments From the Provost Yale's architectural history and future legacy pondered Conference to explore politics, culture and economics of Ukraine There will be music and fun galore at campus celebrations Kosovo crisis to be discussion topic Conference will explore West's role in Soviet legal reform New Beinecke archive reveals changing role of women in the 1500s Yale affiliates honored for their contributions to science 'Made in the USA?' examines impact of global economy on American labor Professor elected to National Academy of Engineering Student stories focus on people buried in historic cemetery Authors' readings help support fight against illiteracy Campus Notes Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events| Bulletin Board Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff Public Affairs Home|News Releases|E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page

 Detail of the ceiling of the Music Library at Sterling Memorial Library, one of the facilities that was visited by participants in the "Yale Constructs" conference.