Kirtland Hall

Kirtland Hall resides next to the corner of Hillhouse and Grove, tucked away behind the stretching buildings housing Dean’s offices and the Sheffield Scientific School. The façade features large, imposing ionic columns, which frame the flight of stairs to the understated doors. The square, geometrically exact building is difficult to miss, as a stone stairway protrudes into the sidewalk. Furthermore, the building’s unique dark brick color differentiates it from the other buildings immediately nearby. While its grandiose, mansion-like appearance may indicate a residential use, the building’s location and Yale University placard demonstrate its true purpose: an University building. Currently, the building helps to house the psychology department, and its spaces are used for students and faculty to conduct research.

1902-1963 – Department of Geology

1963-Present – Department of Psychology

Maps indicate that Kirtland Hall has not changed much throughout its construction (2, 3). The Atlas of New Haven from 1911, under ten years after Kirtland’s construction, shows the exact same building shape that one can see today, both in person and on the Yale University map (2, 3). Currently, the most important area of the building is the basement, which houses research experiments that students can both run and participate in. 

For the entirety of Kirtland Hall’s history, it has functioned as a University site. Originally, it was a part of the Sheff School, a separate science school entity outside of Yale University. The Sheff School, founded in 1847 on what is currently Farnam Hall, operated outside of Yale University until the two became one in 1945 (4). Yet, the Sheff school did not reach the same heights as Yale. The school itself was very poor throughout its existence, and students paid a meager $30 for tuition. In the waning years of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s, Joseph Earl Sheffield had plans to expand the school and make it a richer and better facilitated learning space (4). Thus, he donated over one million dollars to the school’s expansion and betterment. Part of this money went to the construction of new laboratory and classroom spaces around Hillhouse Ave. Buildings, such as Leet Oliver Hall, Watson Hall, Mason Laboratory, Dunham Laboratory, and Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall were erected, as well as Kirtland Hall. These buildings drew students to the Sheff school, increasing enrollment by over 1000 students. The Sheff school did not provide housing for its students, explaining why there are no residential student houses near the Sheff school buildings (4).

Kirtland Hall itself was founded in part by the donation of Sheffield, yet was mostly created due to the contribution of Mrs. Lucy Boardman (6). Mrs. Boardman dedicated the building to her uncle, Jared Potter Kirtland, an M.D. who studied at Yale University and was known for his geological survey of Ohio (5). Dr. Kirtland’s geological background gave rise to the building’s first function: the home of the Geology department (6). The familial ties within the building cannot be understated, as Kirtland’s great-grandson, Kirtland Kelsey Cutter, was the architect (1). Cutter was primarily known for his work in the state of Washington, and this building is one of his few on the East Coast (1).

The Department of Geology laid claim to Kirtland Hall until 1963, retaining its usage even through the unification of the Sheff School in 1945 (4, 6). However, after 1963 the building became a laboratory setting for psychology faculty and students, which it still functions as today (6). Kirtland Hall has always been an academic building, and its history within the Sheff school, and academic dedication to a renowned scientist reinforce its current function.

Kirtland Hall is on one of the most populated corners of academic buildings at Yale University. Hillhouse Ave contains mostly scientific buildings, and Kirtland Hall is no exception. It is dwarfed by the much larger Sheffield Sterling Strathcona (SSS) building to its left, and the Dunham Laboratory to its right. The SSS building occupies the entirety of the corner of Hillhouse and Grove Street, with a shape almost resembling the capital L letter, yet small paths that cut through the sidewalk corner straight through to Kirtland Hall give the sense that Kirtland is on its own corner as well. Bustling student life and frantic traveling from class to class defines the setting of the sidewalk throughout the entire week, but on weekends few people are to be found walking the purely academic area.