Woodbridge Hall

The neoclassical administrative building sits at the heart of Yale’s campus and is home to the Office of the President and the Corporation Room. Built with Indiana limestone, the building conserves its original color as it has been well maintained. Its façade contains clear elements of classical architecture with its Greek columns, and is a clear break from previous Gothic buildings on campus. The structure commemorates Yale’s 200th anniversary along with the University’s founders, especially Reverend Timothy Woodbridge. Since it has served as the administration’s home for the last century, the building has also been the sight of some of the most important student protests on campus. 

Prior to Woodbridge Hall, this land was not owned by Yale. As seen on Reuben Holden’s Yale: a pictorial history, this plot was acquired by Yale during one of its expansions at the beginning of the 20th century (7). Prior to that, it is likely to land was used to for student housing. At the time, many students lived in off campus dwellings on Wall Street. This is further confirmed by a 1900 image from the Dana Collection, which looks towards 105 Wall Street, showing row houses along the street. Since the New Haven directories did not include addresses prior to 1900, it was difficult to determine who exactly lived in the location before it was acquired by Yale.

Historically, the address was first developed at some moment between 1812 and 1824. In the Doolittle Map of 1812 (2), Wall Street already existed, but it had not reached College Street and 105 Wall Street did not exist. By the Doolittle Map of 1824 (3), Wall Street had been continued and there seems to be a structure at 105 Wall Street, which remained there in the 1851 Collins and Clark Map (4) and the 1886 Sanborn Map (1). 

Since it was built in 1901, Woodbridge Hall has been home to Yale’s administration and Yale Corporation meeting room. Along with Woolsey Hall, the University Dining Hall, and Memorial Hall, these buildings were commissioned in order to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Yale (7). The Bicentennial Buildings, as they are known collectively, broke from previous Gothic architecture on Campus with their Beaux-Arts Classicism (5). With its new location, the administration wanted to show that it served the university as a whole, and that it was equally focused on the arts and the sciences. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Yale’s governing body was focused on creating a new area on campus that provided essential university services and would connect its liberal arts and science campuses.

The building was a gift from Olivia and Caroline Phelps Stokes, who were the aunts of Anson Phelps Stokes, Yale’s secretary at the time (6). The sisters from New York City agreed to donate the building under certain conditions, which included that Anson’s architect brother, Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes, had to design it and that it had to be named after their ancestors, which included Reverend Timothy Woodbridge, John Haynes, and George Wyllys (10). The building ended up being designed by Howell & Stokes, a New York based firm led by Phelps Stokes and his partner John Mead Howells. Ultimately, the building was named after Woodbridge, who was one of the founders of Yale College and its trustee from 1701 to 1732. Ironically, Woodbridge was also a Hartford minister that was very opposed to Yale’s move to New Haven and instead wanted it to relocate to Hartford. His opposition was so great that he held a separate commencement in Hartford in 1718(10). Nevertheless, he eventually conceded to Yale’s move to New Haven and remained a trustee until his death in 1732.

Although Woodbridge Hall greatly differed from many of the Gothic buildings on campus, its architects clearly drew parallels to another building that was important on Yale’s campus. Built in 1832, the Trumbull Gallery was the first art museum at an educational institution in the United States (12). In 1868, the building was remodeled by adding windows and it became the Treasury, which was home to Yale’s administration prior to Woodbridge Hall. Although the Trumbull Gallery was demolished, this new French Renaissance-styled mansion can be seen as a more ornate reincarnation of the historic art building (11).

Woodbridge Hall has always housed the President’s Office and Corporation Room, but it has also held other roles throughout Yale’s history. At one moment in time, the building contained all of the university’s administrative functions. Some of these included student records, financial services, and keeping tuition money in the structure’s vault, which has now been repurposed (13). 

Since Woodbridge Hall has been home to Office of the President and the Corporation Room, its image has always been very closely tied to that of the administration. When the University President sends routine communications to the student body, these are referred to as Notes from Woodbridge Hall, further emphasizing the connection. As a result, any protest in which students disagree with the administration’s stance or decision will likely take place in front of Woodbridge Hall. These have included protests against the naming of the new residential colleges in 2016, divestment from fossil fuels in 2015, and divestment from companies doing business in South Africa in the 1980s to name a few. Therefore, this administrative building has been to the sight of some of the most heated and intense debates on campus over the last century. As long as Woodbridge Hall remains the home of the school’s governing body, such manifestations will continue to occur there in order for the student body to demonstrate its views.

Due to the construction of the Schwartzman Center, the University’s administration will be temporarily relocated in August 2018 to Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall, where the Yale College Dean’s Office currently is. They plan to return in 2020 when construction is completed. According to Vice President for Communications Eileen O’Connor, the last time the administration had to relocate from Woodbridge Hall was during Richard Levin’s presidency for the construction of Beinecke Plaza (8). 

Building is located at the heart of Yale’s campus and is a daily sight for most students.