The John Pierpont House/Yale University Visitor's Center

The John Pierpont House, currently the Yale University Visitor Center, is the oldest building currently standing in New Haven. It was built in 1767 and is one of the three beautiful Georgian houses that sits on the north side of Elm Street. It has served as a residential building, a hospital during the revolutionary war, a faculty lounge and the Yale undergraduate admissions office. Its complex architectural structure testifies for the history it has gone through, yet its simplistic façade upholds the ideal urban lifestyle and values of historic New Haven. 

1767 – 1900 The Pierpont family

1901 – 1921 Rev. Anson Phelps Stokes

1921 – now Yale University

In the earliest documented map ever drawn on the city (Map of 1644), the land where the house currently stands on is ascribed to "Mr. Marshall." Although no such "Mr. Marshall" can be found in any historical material, considering that the map was drawn only six years after the founding of the city, we can safely assume that he was one of the early colonists in New Haven.

On Sep. 25, 1685, the deed to a section of Mr. Marshall's land was given to Rev. James Pierpont as a ministerial settlement (3). The reverend stayed at a separate location, keeping the land vacant and passed it on to his son, who later passed it on to John Pierpont. John Pierpont constructed his own building on this ground, and this piece of land has stayed in the Pierpont family until 1900, when it was purchased by Rev. Anson Phelps Stokes (1). Yale University acquired the site in 1921 and the site has remained Yale's property ever since.

In 1766, Mr. John Pierpont, grandson to the beloved Rev. James Pierpont, married his wife, Sarah Beers. At that time, John had already been constructing his own house on the north side of Elm Street. Therefore, the newlyweds moved in soon after the house's completion in 1767 to start their new lives together. The Pierponts were a hospitable couple, constantly hosting gatherings of the Pierponts and the Beers (3). Due to the proximity of the house to the church, the couple also opened the home up as a resting place for all the Sunday churchgoers from distant counties, turning this private house into a community space.

In 1779, during the revolutionary war, the British came into New Haven and pillaged the house, significantly damaging the furniture and portrait inside the residence. The British used the house as a Hospital and a station for the underground railroad. The house functioned almost like a headquarter of their operation until their eventual retreat from the city (4).

John and Sarah had four daughters who were known for having strong individuality and for exemplifying the 19th century New Haven values (3). After the death of Sarah, the house was passed onto one of the four daughters, Miss Mary, who married Hon. Eleazar Foster in 1806. Because of this marriage, the house is sometimes referred to as John Pierpont - Eleazar Foster House (5).

Mary and Eleazar had four children together, and they lived in the house after Mary's death in 1857. The last one of the four passed away in the house in 1900. That same year, Rev. Anson Phelps Stokes purchased the John Pierpont house. He commissioned large addition to the original structure to accommodate his visitors from all over the country. He was at that time the Secretary of Yale, which was the second in command of the university (6). Under his supervision, the first meeting of Yale missionary board took place in this house. Also, Yale in China was established in this house during this period (7).

Yale University officially acquired this space in 1921 and began a thorough restoration in 1929. The University continued the tradition of the John Pierpont house as a social space, and established the faculty club, hosting dances and presentations for the professors. Along with the building immediately to its west, which serves as the Graduate club, the John Pierpont House became part of the campus that blends the rigor of the academia with the liveliness of the city (8). More additions to the building were built during this period to turn this house into a classy space for its esteemed academics.

Later, the house served as the Office of Undergraduate Admissions before it attained its current primary position as the Visitor Center. Another restoration was completed in 2002 to equip this elegant Georgian building with modern infrastructure. Now, the John Pierpont House serves as both the Visitor Center in the front and the Henry Koerner Center for Emeritus Faculty in the back. This function of the house truly exemplifies the uniqueness of this space. The lavishly decorated backside provides an upscale social space for the University's most renowned faculty members. The front side of the building, the simplistic original structure, the emblem of New Haven and its rich human history, welcomes visitors from all over the world to Yale, and to New Haven.

The John Pierpont House sits to the north of the New Haven Green, on the north side of Elm Street between College Street and Temple Street. Along with this short segment is a variety of architectural styles, from the federal style of the First United Methodist Church to the Venetian façade of Hendrie Hall. In between these elaborate architectures are three small white Georgian houses, one of which is the John Pierpont House. These houses possess neither the grandeur nor the complexity of the significant structures along the street. However, they contrast the bustling commerce all around the green, creating an enclave of "the simpler times." The highly organized and humble imagery of the John Pierpont House highlights the 18th-century urban morals of order, simplicity, and rectitude, upholding the values of the city from its earlier days.