Osborn Hall, at the corner of College and Chapel streets, was a New Haven landmark for over three decades.

'Osborn Hall and The Conspicuous Corner'

Yale's Osborn Hall, which was both fancied and reviled during the 36 years it occupied the corner of College and Chapel streets, is the subject of a new exhibit at the New Haven Colony Historical Society. "Osborn Hall and The Conspicuous Corner: 1888-1926" will "bring visitors back to a period in New Haven and Yale's history that was colorful, controversial, and yes, conspicuous," says the exhibit's curator, Amy Trout. The show coincides with the start of Yale's tercentennial celebration. (See Special Issue on Opening Yale 300 in this newspaper.) Immortalized in souvenirs, photographs and memorabilia, Osborn Hall was built with a gift of $150,000 in 1887 by Miriam Osborn, who donated the funds to Yale President Timothy Dwight for the construction of a new lecture hall in memory of her husband, Yale alumnus Charles J. Osborn. The widow's gift stipulated that the new hall be architecturally "one of the finest buildings" and that it "occupy the most conspicuous site" on campus. Thus, despite emotional protests by students, faculty and alumni, the University built Osborn Hall at the site of one of Yale's most popular hangouts, the Yale Fence. "From the 1850s to 1887, Yale men used the wooden fence on the corner of College and Chapel as a place to smoke cigars, forge friendships, meet women and generally loaf around on one of the most popular street corners of the campus and city," notes Trout. Its replacement by Osborn Hall made the hall's early life "fraught with difficulty," she says. When the architecture of the new building was revealed, "it became quite a conversation piece," comments the curator. "New York architect Bruce Price's design was one of unbelievable extravagance -- a squat, castle-like building, eclectically embellished with color, texture and ornamentation," she explains. "This was a building to be noticed -- and it was." In addition to the attention the building drew at Yale, it also served as a "colorful addition" to downtown New Haven, notes Trout. "For generations, students frequented the stores and shops on Chapel Street, and newsboys, shoeshine boys and vendors of all types hawked their wares and services to students who lined up on the Fence, or later, who gathered in front of Osborn Hall. The eye-catching architecture of the lecture hall on the 'conspicuous' corner also served as a tourist attraction for visitors to the campus and the city. City souvenirs of the period, whether a postcard, picture book or paperweight, always included a likeness of Osborn Hall. Its wide, open archways, front steps and sidewalk became, for students, a new place to 'hang out' and be seen." The photographs and memorabilia on view at the New Haven Colony Historical Society testify to the building's central place in the memories of both Yale students and New Haven citizens. For many students, it was the site of famous lectures in law and history, the place where they would spin tops on the sidewalks, and the point of origin for their graduation march, says Trout. Despite its popularity as an architectural marvel, Osborn Hall had fundamental problems which eventually had a role in the decision to knock the building down, according to the curator. "It was, according to students and faculty, the noisiest lecture hall ever created," notes Trout. "Its prime location on College and Chapel streets meant that city noise reverberated inside the classrooms and lecture halls. The clacking trolleys, the yelling vendors and an assortment of urban sounds disturbed many a lecture inside its polished halls. By the 1920s, Yale had plans to unify its campus architecture and expand its dormitory space. Osborn Hall was torn down in 1926 and replaced by Bingham Hall, which still stands on the corner today." The exhibition will remain on view through Dec. 31. The New Haven Colony Historical Society, 114 Whitney Ave., is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 2-5 p.m. Parking is available at the rear of the building. Admission is $2 for adults; $1.50 for senior citizens and students with an I.D.; and $1 for children ages 6-16. Children under age 6 are admitted free. For further information, call (203) 562-4183. 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