York 220

York 220 is both hidden and visible from York Street, shielded by Wolf’s Head and placed further down a driveway from the street. York 220 is made of three different, red bricked structures united in the shape of an ‘L’: on the left is a large building with a gothic window and a gable roof; in the middle, a lower, squarer structure with a flat roof; and towards the right, another small, gable -roofed building, protruding from the middle section. There is an embellished main entrance, an accessibility ramp and a bike rack, as well as a second entrance that leads straight into York 220’s ‘Ballroom’: a fairly large performance and rehearsal space. Originally built for Psi Upsilon, which later became the Fence Club, York 220 was bought by Yale University and adapted in the 1980s to serve Yale Students. It is now occupied by the Yale University’s Theatre Studies Department and functions as a multi purpose space for many students pursuing theatre at Yale. Along with housing Theatre Studies offices, classes and lectures, York 220 is a space for students to rehearse, host auditions, and perform.

1928: Psi Upsilon Beta Chapter -- Student Society Hall

1934: The Fence Club (Psi Upsilon post-disaffiliation) -- Student Society Hall

1979- 1986: Yale University -- multi purpose space for the Architecture department, Theatre Studies department, and theatre students and organisations.

1987 - Now: Yale University Theatre Studies Department

The Sanborn maps from 1886 and 1911 show that the area of land where York 220 now stands was occupied by one or two residential buildings. Although nothing was torn down to accommodate the building of York 220 specifically, much of the area of York Street between Library Walk and Chapel Street was used to build exclusively Yale Buildings over time (at the expense of New Haven residences). York 220 was built at the same time as other Fraternity houses, in the late 1920s and early 1920s, to establish “Fraternity Row”. At the time, the only Yale buildings in that area was the original School of Medicine and the University Theatre.

James Gamble Rogers used Collegiate Gothic and Tudor revival styles in order “to create a patch of village scenery in the midst of an urban grid”(12), creating a kind of rural and enchanting atmosphere for the fraternity houses. At the same time, his choice to adopt Architectural styles from Oxford and Cambridge reminded onlookers of the elitism and prestige of these buildings and those who occupied them.

The Fence Club was not the only society or Fraternity assumed by Yale University. All the buildings in this section of York Street, apart from Wolf’s Head, were bought and renovated to accommodate different Yale programs. Alongside Fence, renovated to suit the Theatre Studies Department, stand the Yale Cabaret and several Cultural Houses.

The social history of York 220 parallels the social history of Yale itself: the evolutions of its student body, the students body’s relationship to Yale as an institution, and the way Yale claims and changes the architectural space of New Haven.

York 220 was originally built for the Psi Upsilon Beta Chapter, a Junior Fraternity, established in 1839.(2) It was an elite organisation, with the aim of grabbing the best and brightest undergraduates. The building plans and interior design choices demonstrate this. Images of the central lounge, for example, reveal lush furniture, a Tudor-esque stage with a piano, and Greek revival interior design within: statues and columns are thinly built into the walls, as a kind of decoration. The third section of York 220, the smallest, and most simple section of the structure, was originally intended to be the “servant quarter” (3), which housed live in servants to cook and clean. However, Psi Upsilon was slowly losing money due to the introduction of Residential Colleges at Yale. The fact that Residential Colleges required students to eat various meals a week in their college reduced the necessity of Fraternities in general. Psi Upsilon shut down in 1934 (4), a year after Pierson and Davenport College were built, two colleges just a short walk down York Street.

However, the men of Psi Upsilon immediately opened The Fence Club to replace the Fraternity: a disaffiliated version of Psi Upsilon, which still lived in York 220 (then also known as 204 York and 224 York), alleviated of payment to the national chapter. The Fence Club still maintained its status as an exclusive organisation, adopting a “a rush process” similar to other fraternities. In the 1940s and ’50s, Fence Club began housing huge parties, and occasionally hiring entire orchestras to perform.(5) The Fence Club, however, was known among the University for being the Fraternity with the lowest performing academic record.(6) One student, Muntz Baldwin, was in fact found to be using Fence Club as the location for his gambling game, and was arrested.(7) The

Fence Club in York 220 set itself up in contrast to the Yale Buildings emerging all over Campus and into New Haven: a party space, or an “escape” from the traditional or formal obligations of Yale as an academic institution.

However, the political climate of the 1960s and 1970s pushed people away from Fraternities, and their emphasis on exclusivity. Fence’s membership plummeted, and they decided to welcome women into the fraternity in 1972.(8) Fence was radically trying to change its image from an elite drinking club to a familiar, welcoming home for all: anyone could now enter the house, however, not everyone could become a member. Fence was still struggling to keep up with its debts (9), despite increasing membership, and closed in September, 1979.(10) In some sense, Fence could not change at the same pace that Yale was changing, in terms of politics, academic mentality and inclusivity.

However, Yale University assumed ownership over the building instead. Between 1979 and 1986, the building became a multi purpose space for Architecture students, the Theatre Studies department, and drama students and organisations. Since the space naturally suited use for Theatre students and organisations, based on its large, stage spaces, the University planned to adapt it to be used by performance groups. In 1986, the architect Peter Millard was hired by Yale to renovate the interior of York 220 to fit the needs of Yale’s Theatre Studies Department, and in 1987, York 220 became under their control.(11) Today it remains the Theatre Studies Department building, and a rehearsal space for organisations like the DRAMAT, Control Group, and other students under the Yale Drama Coalition.

York 220 is surrounded by Yale- owned buildings, situated next to the University Theatre, and surrounded by buildings such as the African American Cultural House and the Yale Cabaret -- all built in the same period by James Gamble Rogers, sharing a stylistic cohesiveness. However, since all these buildings are spread in a driveway section between York Street and Park Street, they are only partially visible, creating a sense of secrecy and privacy. This is likely to have been an intentional choice, since all these buildings were originally intended for Fraternities and Societies. Wolf’s Head, the Secret Society building, partially conceals York 220, adding to the sense of privacy which juxtaposes York 220’s current purpose as an institutional facility for Yale

students.

York 220 is a 3- part structured building, styled as a hybrid of Collegiate Gothic, Greek Revival and Tudor Revival architecture. Indeed, there have been almost no renovations to the building’s exterior since its erection in 1928, even though its interiors have been entirely redone and repurposed.

York 220 is an L-shaped structure with 3 distinct sections. The first section is a tall, rectangular mass on south end, which has a 3-bay facade with small, narrow windows. The second story and third story bays are separated by short projecting buttresses. In the center of this section, on the first story, is a large octagonal bay window with arched lights and stone mullions. In front of the facade is a “well” which exposes the basement windows: the windows are arched, and the center window is decoratively cut within the stone base of the bay window above. The well is bordered with an iron spike fence. The chimney has two corbeled, octagonal brick stacks. On the left side of this section is another entrance to the building, through a kind of “gate”, with original drip molding and decorative gutter heads. In the middle of the building there is yet another entrance, used mainly in the case of a fire, up a small staircase which leads into the “Ballroom”. (1)

The second section has flat roof with a stone trimmed, crenelated parapet. There are rectangular 3-part windows on both the first and second story, with stone quoining and drip molding. On this section is also an elaborate arched entrance, with a hybrid Greek revival pediments. Here there are three small statues: an owl in the centre and a column on either side. In the centre of the pediment originally stood the Fraternity Psi Upsilon’s coat-of-arms, which has now been sanded or erased for the building’s current use, leaving an blank symbol. Additionally, the buildings has an accessibility ramp and bike rack in front of its main entrance, added in 1988, after the building was assumed by the Yale Theatre Studies Department, in order to comply by accessibility regulations.

Finally, the third section protrudes out of the centre section, moving northwards into the driveway. It has two rectangular window panels with stone quoining and drip molding on its west facing side, and a small, high up rectangular window on its north, street-facing side. 

The basement of York 220 opens into a small, concrete patio (also accessible from a front gate), with a staircase that goes up to the second level. This second level walkway forms an awning over the patio, underneath which are benches and a statue.

Many of the dorm rooms, the library, and the basement (originally a large and open dining hall) were modified into classrooms and small lecture rooms. Some luxurious components of the house, such as marble bathrooms and showers, were removed entirely. The Fence Club’s main lounge was modified into York 220’s “Ballroom”: a performance and rehearsal space. The only thing that remained intact was the original “council room” or “chapter room” on the second floor, with brown wooden walls and seats, appearing almost as a courtroom, which was used for meetings. The doors that originally opened from the council room into the library are still there, however they are not unopenable and have walls behind them. The original plans show how the seats intend to open, and there are “concealed doors” behind them. This feature is still intact: it is possible to climb under the seats and stand in the wall behind the chapter room, however, these days, there is nowhere to go from there.

Brown, Elizabeth Mills. New Haven: a guide to architecture and urban design . New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1976.

Buildings and Grounds of Yale University. New Haven: Yale University Press, September 1979

"Chi Psi, Fence Club To Give Open Dances With Perry, Wittstein." Yale Daily News, May 2, 1942: 1. Print.

"Clear It Up." Yale Daily News 24 Oct. 1935: 2. Print.

"Davenport Bookmaker Escapes Confinement in New Haven Pokey." Yale Daily News, October 14, 1949: 1. Print.

Dastin, Barry. "Yale Fence Lives." Yale Daily News, February 15, 1973: 1. Print.

Echikson, Bill. "Fence Club, facing debts, may close." Yale Daily News, March 28, 1978: 1, 3. Print.

"Fence Club To Admit Women As Members." Yale Daily News , February 18, 1972: 1. Print.

Sanborn Map Company of New York. “Insurance Maps of New Haven Connecticut,” 1886.

———. “Insurance Maps of New Haven Connecticut,” 1911.

———. “Insurance Maps of New Haven Connecticut,” 1923 (modified: May 1931).

Ryan, Susan. “Fence Club” Historic Resources Inventory: Building and Structures. State of Connecticut: Connecticut Historical Commission, October , 1980.

Smart, Christopher. "Fence Club closes; Yale takes building." Yale Daily News, September 12, 1979: 4. Print.

Tepper, S. "Money squeeze forces DKE, Zeta Psi to close." Yale Daily News, September 11, 1973: 1. Print.

"York Hall Awarded Trophy For Leading Fraternities in Scholastic Achievements." Yale Daily News, October 26, 1956: 1. Print.