The Yale Bookstore (Barnes & Noble)

The Yale Bookstore is the fundamental pillar that grounds the commercial district of Broadway. An extension of the modern architectural style of Morse and Ezra Stiles colleges, the building seamlessly blends into the identity of Yale, while striving to functionally serve the greater New Haven area. It is a focal point, attempting to connect Yale with its surroundings. A large glass storefront, outlined in a Yale blue, is angled towards the main flow of sidewalk traffic, inviting people to glance into its well-lit interior, and ultimately drawing them in as a natural ending point to a walk down the Broadway strip. Tenants (including the current one) have always featured a wide array of goods, mirroring the diverse functionality of the building itself i.e. residential quarters, commercial space, and a component of the Ezra Stiles’ courtyard. Its construction ultimately began the transition from small mom and pop stores into the well- known chains that line the street today, a change that is not only symbolic of Yale’s relationship with New Haven, but also one that continues to have ramifications up until present day.

Original tenant: Yale Cooperative Corporation (Yale Co-op) (1962)

Current tenant: The Yale Bookstore (Barnes & Noble College Bookstores, Inc.) (1997) 

A dense cluster of small buildings was cleared to create the large building (7, 8). The corner of Broadway previously housed Boardman Manual Training School, the first technical high school in New Haven (9). The school was funded by donations from Lucy Boardman, “the greatest woman philanthropist in nineteen century Connecticut, if not America” (9). The land was owned publically by the state before it was sold to Yale in the late 1950s (9). Eventually the school and neighboring ones, Hillhouse and Commercial High School, were torn down to make way for the new residential colleges and the building that would house the Yale Co-op (9). 

The building was designed in tangent with Morse and Stiles residential colleges. Since its creation, it has always been privately owned by Yale University and leased out to various tenants (1). Founded in 1885 by students and faculty, the Yale Co-op relocated to 77 Broadway, becoming the building’s first tenant in 1962 (6). The second co-op in the country, the Yale Co-op was the main source of merchandise that catered to the Yale population (6). Membership was only extended to Yale alumni, faculty, students, and employees, and it touted a “patronage refund” (6). Although the purpose and contents of the store adapted overtime, eventually becoming known as a sort of department store where students could find anything they needed in one place, the co-op still remained highly catered to the Yale population (5). When the lease expired in 1997, Yale filed a new lease with Barnes & Noble College Bookstores, Inc. to manage The Yale Bookstore (3). 

The Yale Bookstore opened with brand new renovations in 1997, featuring an upgraded space with "dark wood paneling, traditional furnishings, and a grand piano in the lobby," a Yale Marketplace that offered fresh produce, juice, and everyday essentials, an upscale gift shop, and a 75-seat Yale Café, all in addition to a larger and cheaper book selection and upgraded Yale merchandise labels (3). Unlike its predecessor, The Yale Bookstore agreed to extended hours and staying open later into the night. This change in tenants of the space did its job in attracting more retailers to Broadway, which is exactly what the University wanted, with its overall goal to "make the area more vibrant and lively and contribute to safety in that neighborhood and the economy of the city" (3). The introduction of The Yale Bookstore managed to bridge Yale and the surrounding New Haven community in the short run, but ultimately further insulated Yale with time as high-end retailers began flocking to Broadway to create the "Main Street" that we see today.

The Yale Bookstore today is no longer the leviathan complex it was in 1997, but it continues to command authority as the official site for campus merchandise and class supplies. It's the location where student-led tours end and where professors reference in syllabi for materials. However, a trip into the store reveals an interesting collection of random goods including a makeup counter, a magazine stand, aisles of candy and snacks, technology gadgets, dorm furniture, and a selection of rain boots, all in addition to the large supply of Yale merchandise and books, echoing back to its past function. The space is constantly adapting, and one can only wonder how it will change in the next few years as corporations like Amazon grow and technology shifts. 

The Yale Bookstore anchors the end of a commercialized Broadway “Main Street.” The consumer culture is baked into the landscape: from the parking lot situated on the middle island to the street’s sidewalk. Lined with alternating old lamp posts and Elm trees, the wideset, redbrick sidewalk is an idyllic escape. Depending on the season, vibrant flowers in woven baskets hang from lamp posts lights and decorative cabbage are arrayed in large ceramic pots that dot the street. The shops on Broadway, with their sleek, modern faces, combine with the surrounding landscape to make an overall aesthetically pleasing venue. The Yale Bookstore, situated at the half-point way on Broadway, physically marks the end of the string of retail shops and eateries (heading down from York Street). It is separated from the other commercial stores by a small pathway. The protruding colored shields work with the black metal shields on the adjacent building to create a strong sense of Yale as you walk through it towards the residential colleges. The Yale Bookstore, with its three heavily staged show windows, faces the parking lot, making it one of the first things you see when you get out of your car. The show windows and glass south-end entrance remind you of the retail aspect, while the concrete exterior and physical attachment to Stiles college keeps you grounded in the Yale sphere.