Central Power Plant

Upon approaching the Central Power Plant, one may at first be confused as to the purpose of the building. The simultaneously neo-Gothic and Georgian architectural styles of the building allow it to blend well into the design of many other residential areas of Yale University, though the peculiar insides of the power plant stick out of the top, revealing that this is not a typical university building. In this way, the building reads akin to a series of beautiful high walls that are concealing the on-goings within. Additionally, with its monumental size and stature, two tall smokestack towers, and the gated entrance, the building mimics a sort of fortress, exuding a strong sense of power. This is of upmost importance because the building itself is a source of power, providing about half of the Yale campus with electricity, steam heat and chilled water (1). In accord with the University’s sustainability initiatives, the power plant uses a cogeneration technique to generate power, allowing for significant energy efficiency (2). This plant was built in 1918 by Day & Klauder (4), and has reliably provided many buildings on campus with electricity and heat ever since (2). 

Yale University: 1918-Present 

In 1901, the Central Power Plant did not yet exist, as two buildings - the Hebrew Ladies Orphan Society and the New Haven Wheel Company - stood in in the exact location that the Central Power Plant stands today (3). These buildings originally sat in a broader region known as the York Square area (3). York Square was created in 1836 and was comprised of a row of Greek Revival residential buildings and a 500-foot long, rectangular Green (4). In 1894, however, York Square was slowly demolished by New Haven and Yale University (5). Along with these changes, the Hebrew Ladies Orphan Society and New Haven Wheel Company buildings were destroyed and replaced by a Commercial High School, the Central Power Plant and the Yale Service Bureau building (15).

The Central Power Plant was built in 1918 by Day & Klauder, funded by Mrs. Stephen V. Harkness (9) for the purpose of providing heat and electricity to about 50% of the buildings on campus (5). Nine years later, in 1926, Tower Parkway was constructed through the middle of what used to be York Square, giving the power plant its current address of 120 Tower Parkway. This street leads to what would later become Payne Whitney Gym, and brought more traffic through the area (4). As seen in the Sanborn map of 1973, the High School next to the Power Plant was demolished (16). Since this time, the Central Power Plant has been a part of two expansion projects, thus taking over the Yale Service Bureau building and growing much larger (7). Additionally, the plant now sits next to another Yale building, previously known as “Swing Space,” which is currently under construction for the purpose of housing graduate students at the Law School (8). 

The Central Power Plant was originally created by Yale University, for the University, with the intention of providing energy to about half of the buildings on campus. More specifically, the plant generates electricity, steam heat and chilled water (2). As part of an ever-progressive university, it is likely that this building plays a significant role with regard to sustainability at Yale. At first, the power plant was built to burn coal, though this technique was quickly replaced with the more efficient and environmentally friendly process of cogeneration (2). Technically speaking, cogeneration uses natural gas (cleaner than coal) to generate electricity; at the same time, it also captures the heat that would typically be lost in this process and uses it for heating and/or cooling purposes (10), by distributing the steam and chilled water through interconnected pipes that link to many of the structures on campus (11). At full capacity, the power plant can produce a very large amount of power - exactly 18 megawatts of electricity and 340,000 pounds of steam per hour for the purpose of heating (11). The power plant has been expanded a few different times so that it can produce more energy for the growing campus. Unfortunately, even in the case of cogeneration, producing energy by means of natural gas emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thus contributing to global warming and climate change (12). This is an important social and environmental issue to consider, because carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been increasing substantially, along with energy use, in recent history. Nonetheless, Yale’s Sustainability program is continuously working on combatting this issue; by focusing on individual conservation projects, Yale was able to reduce such emissions by 0.2% from 2016 to 2017, despite a growing campus (13).

Another aspect of the social history of this power plant revolves around the topic of dangerous working conditions. In October of 2015, a man working at the Central Power Plant fell 40 feet off of a ladder as he was doing repair work on a chimney. He was then stuck in the smokestack for about an hour until the New Haven Fire Department retrieved him. Unfortunately, he later passed away in the hospital. Later, everyone affiliated with the university received an email from Yale, with a statement offering condolences and support to anyone affected by the news (14). This event definitely brought a feeling of terror to the community regarding the dangers of the Central Power Plant. The area, combined with the pollution from the plant and the cemetery next door, may exude a sort of ominous vibe to some. At the same time, however, the statement sent to the Yale population may have worked to show the support that the school has for everyone associated with the university, including students, professors and facility workers. This creates the sense that everyone is a part of the Yale community, as is further reflected by the architecture of the power plant, which closely resembles the style of many other buildings on campus. 

Until 2017, the power plant sat on the outskirts of campus, across from Morse College and along the street that leads to athletic facilities such as Payne Whitney Gym and Ray Tompkins Center. These nearby university buildings, however, do not portray the same Gothic Revival or Georgian architecture that define the style of many buildings at Yale. In this way, the Central Power Plant brings the collegiate feel to the outer region of campus, helping to delineate an almost invisible border that separates Yale from the rest of New Haven.

Following the recent addition of the new colleges, however, the power plant’s location is now considered to be close to the center of campus. With its two tall smokestack towers and grand stature now closer to the middle of campus, the importance of the building is particularly evident. On the other hand, the Grove Street Cemetery sits on the other side of the building. Typically, cemeteries and power plants, which are related to death and pollution, respectively, are not the central focus of universities; it could be hypothesized that this is why their original locations existed towards the outskirts of campus. As follows, it would be interesting to hear Yale University’s opinion on the location of the power plant (and cemetery) following the recent shift in campus centrality.

Regardless of the location of the center of Yale campus, the streetscape has remained more or less the same since the addition of the new colleges. This area is currently very hectic, as the large building next door is under construction. Between the height of the smokestack towers that are a part of the power plant, and the height of Morse college, the buildings seem to almost funnel one’s attention down Tower Parkway to the monumental, church-like building that is Payne Whitney Gym at the end of the road. A significant amount of traffic exists in this area, with cars speeding along Tower Parkway, and many buses often stopping outside the gym. There are a few sparse trees lining the road, but this region mainly brings a visitor’s focus to the large buildings, impressive architecture and hustle-and-bustle of city life.