President’s House
43 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven, CT 06511
James Hillhouse was a wealthy and well-educated man highly involved in the politics and development of New Haven in the late 18th century. As part of his vision to transform New Haven into one of the most beautiful cities in the country, he spearheaded many projects including the renovation of the New Haven Green, creation of the Grove Street Cemetary, and the addition of elm trees that led to New Haven’s nickname as “the Elm City.” In 1792, James Hillhouse first laid out plans for Hillhouse Avenue between Grove Street and ending at Sachem’s Grove with broad grass verges and rows of elm trees, a model later replicated in suburbs across the United States. The growth of Hillhouse Avenue faltered during the Embargo of 1807 and War of 1812, but resumed under James Hillhouse’s son James A. Hillhouse, who collaborated extensively with architect Alexander Jackson Davis to design his own mansion Sachem’s Wood and many other properties on Hillhouse Ave.
The vast majority of the buildings on Hillhouse Ave were constructed between 1800 and 1929. As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, many of the properties on Hillhouse Ave around 1888 and 1911 already belonged to professors or administrators at Yale, a shift that would continue in the subsequent decades, including with the transfer of ownership of 43 Hillhouse Ave to Yale after Henry Farnam’s death.
As a result of changing university priorities, specifically an increase in support for engineering and computer science, Hillhouse Avenue is evolving once again. A series of projects planned for the next decade aims to revamp the lower Hillhouse Avenue area (below Trumbull Street) to construct a new quad and set of buildings for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Soon, lower Hillhouse Avenue will have a new look—one of modernity and forward-looking innovation, an appearance rather distinct from the upper-class residential district first imagined by James Hillhouse. At the same time, many of the mansions on upper Hillhouse Avenue have been converted to graduate schools and academic buildings. Still, the appearance of upper Hillhouse Avenue remains as a token and a reminder of an earlier time in New Haven, when Hillhouse was known as one of the finest suburbs in the United States.
The vast majority of the buildings on Hillhouse Ave were constructed between 1800 and 1929. As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, many of the properties on Hillhouse Ave around 1888 and 1911 already belonged to professors or administrators at Yale, a shift that would continue in the subsequent decades, including with the transfer of ownership of 43 Hillhouse Ave to Yale after Henry Farnam’s death.
As a result of changing university priorities, specifically an increase in support for engineering and computer science, Hillhouse Avenue is evolving once again. A series of projects planned for the next decade aims to revamp the lower Hillhouse Avenue area (below Trumbull Street) to construct a new quad and set of buildings for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Soon, lower Hillhouse Avenue will have a new look—one of modernity and forward-looking innovation, an appearance rather distinct from the upper-class residential district first imagined by James Hillhouse. At the same time, many of the mansions on upper Hillhouse Avenue have been converted to graduate schools and academic buildings. Still, the appearance of upper Hillhouse Avenue remains as a token and a reminder of an earlier time in New Haven, when Hillhouse was known as one of the finest suburbs in the United States.
1871 - 1883 Henry Farnam, Ann Sophia Whitman Farnam
1883 - 1933 Henry Walcott Farnam
1937 - 1951 Charles Seymour
1951 - 1963 Alfred Whitney Griswold
1963 - 1977 Kingman Brewster, Jr.
1977 - 1978 Hanna Holborn Gray
1978 - 1986 Angelo Bartlett Giamatti
2014 - Present Peter Salovey, Marta Moret
1883 - 1933 Henry Walcott Farnam
1937 - 1951 Charles Seymour
1951 - 1963 Alfred Whitney Griswold
1963 - 1977 Kingman Brewster, Jr.
1977 - 1978 Hanna Holborn Gray
1978 - 1986 Angelo Bartlett Giamatti
2014 - Present Peter Salovey, Marta Moret
The land that now belongs to 43 Hillhouse Ave was once part of the traditional Indigenous lands of the Mohegan, Mohican, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, Quinnipiac, and other Algonquian speaking peoples. We pay respect to their peoples of past and present.
Before Henry Farnam commissioned architect Russell Sturgis Jr. to construct the Henry Farnam House on 43 Hillhouse Ave in 1871, Hillhouse Avenue was part of New Haven’s growing suburb, expanding out of Grove Street on the North side of New Haven’s original 9-square grid.
Henry Farnam owned the house from 1871 to his death in 1883, upon which Yale Daily News reported that he gifted the property to Yale under the condition his son Henry W. Farnam could live there until his death. Interestingly, according to the Atlas of New Haven in 1911 (Fig. 7), the property belonged to Henry Farnam’s wife, “A. S. Farnam,” which stands for Ann Sophia Farnam. However, Mrs. Farnam passed away in 1904, and no other direct family member of Henry Farnam shares those initials, leading to the presumption that this was a mapmaking error or information collected prior to her death.
In 1933, the property ownership was transferred to Yale University, who has owned 43 Hillhouse ever since, maintaining it as the President’s House.
Before Henry Farnam commissioned architect Russell Sturgis Jr. to construct the Henry Farnam House on 43 Hillhouse Ave in 1871, Hillhouse Avenue was part of New Haven’s growing suburb, expanding out of Grove Street on the North side of New Haven’s original 9-square grid.
Henry Farnam owned the house from 1871 to his death in 1883, upon which Yale Daily News reported that he gifted the property to Yale under the condition his son Henry W. Farnam could live there until his death. Interestingly, according to the Atlas of New Haven in 1911 (Fig. 7), the property belonged to Henry Farnam’s wife, “A. S. Farnam,” which stands for Ann Sophia Farnam. However, Mrs. Farnam passed away in 1904, and no other direct family member of Henry Farnam shares those initials, leading to the presumption that this was a mapmaking error or information collected prior to her death.
In 1933, the property ownership was transferred to Yale University, who has owned 43 Hillhouse ever since, maintaining it as the President’s House.
The President’s House likely played a prominent role in the social history of New Haven. From looking at the Sanborn maps, 43 Hillhouse is one of, if not the largest property on upper Hillhouse Ave. Given that the majority of the tenants were university professors or upper-class New Haven businesspeople, it can be hypothesized that 43 Hillhouse served as a gathering place for many influential people. Moreover, as the house of the President of Yale University, many influential visitors and guests have stayed at 43 Hillhouse, including former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair and former President of the United States Bill Clinton.
At the same time, the President’s House has been the site of many key moments where Yale students appeal directly to the president and university leadership for change. On November 6, 1968, a student protest formed in front of 43 Hillhouse to advocate for immediate coeducation at Yale. As part of a Coeducation Week initiative organized by students from Trumbull College, the protest served as a direct appeal to then-President Kingman Brewster to allow women to study at Yale. Often characterized as a “sympethetic listener,” Brewster appreciated the students’ advocacy and had already voted on coeducating Yale by 1970 prior to the protest. Still, the student pressure and advocacy marked a moment where Brewster understood the perspectives of the student body not just at Yale but other colleges along the East Coast, inciting real change.
Overall, as the house of the president, 43 Hillhouse often houses upper-class or elite members of society, while simultaneously appealing to the broader social groups and dynamics of the university and student body.
At the same time, the President’s House has been the site of many key moments where Yale students appeal directly to the president and university leadership for change. On November 6, 1968, a student protest formed in front of 43 Hillhouse to advocate for immediate coeducation at Yale. As part of a Coeducation Week initiative organized by students from Trumbull College, the protest served as a direct appeal to then-President Kingman Brewster to allow women to study at Yale. Often characterized as a “sympethetic listener,” Brewster appreciated the students’ advocacy and had already voted on coeducating Yale by 1970 prior to the protest. Still, the student pressure and advocacy marked a moment where Brewster understood the perspectives of the student body not just at Yale but other colleges along the East Coast, inciting real change.
Overall, as the house of the president, 43 Hillhouse often houses upper-class or elite members of society, while simultaneously appealing to the broader social groups and dynamics of the university and student body.
James Hillhouse was a wealthy and well-educated man highly involved in the politics and development of New Haven in the late 18th century. As part of his vision to transform New Haven into one of the most beautiful cities in the country, he spearheaded many projects including the renovation of the New Haven Green, creation of the Grove Street Cemetary, and the addition of elm trees that led to New Haven’s nickname as “the Elm City.” In 1792, James Hillhouse first laid out plans for Hillhouse Avenue between Grove Street and ending at Sachem’s Grove with broad grass verges and rows of elm trees, a model later replicated in suburbs across the United States. The growth of Hillhouse Avenue faltered during the Embargo of 1807 and War of 1812, but resumed under James Hillhouse’s son James A. Hillhouse, who collaborated extensively with architect Alexander Jackson Davis to design his own mansion Sachem’s Wood and many other properties on Hillhouse Ave.
The vast majority of the buildings on Hillhouse Ave were constructed between 1800 and 1929. As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, many of the properties on Hillhouse Ave around 1888 and 1911 already belonged to professors or administrators at Yale, a shift that would continue in the subsequent decades, including with the transfer of ownership of 43 Hillhouse Ave to Yale after Henry Farnam’s death.
As a result of changing university priorities, specifically an increase in support for engineering and computer science, Hillhouse Avenue is evolving once again. A series of projects planned for the next decade aims to revamp the lower Hillhouse Avenue area (below Trumbull Street) to construct a new quad and set of buildings for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Soon, lower Hillhouse Avenue will have a new look—one of modernity and forward-looking innovation, an appearance rather distinct from the upper-class residential district first imagined by James Hillhouse. At the same time, many of the mansions on upper Hillhouse Avenue have been converted to graduate schools and academic buildings. Still, the appearance of upper Hillhouse Avenue remains as a token and a reminder of an earlier time in New Haven, when Hillhouse was known as one of the finest suburbs in the United States.
The vast majority of the buildings on Hillhouse Ave were constructed between 1800 and 1929. As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, many of the properties on Hillhouse Ave around 1888 and 1911 already belonged to professors or administrators at Yale, a shift that would continue in the subsequent decades, including with the transfer of ownership of 43 Hillhouse Ave to Yale after Henry Farnam’s death.
As a result of changing university priorities, specifically an increase in support for engineering and computer science, Hillhouse Avenue is evolving once again. A series of projects planned for the next decade aims to revamp the lower Hillhouse Avenue area (below Trumbull Street) to construct a new quad and set of buildings for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Soon, lower Hillhouse Avenue will have a new look—one of modernity and forward-looking innovation, an appearance rather distinct from the upper-class residential district first imagined by James Hillhouse. At the same time, many of the mansions on upper Hillhouse Avenue have been converted to graduate schools and academic buildings. Still, the appearance of upper Hillhouse Avenue remains as a token and a reminder of an earlier time in New Haven, when Hillhouse was known as one of the finest suburbs in the United States.
As shown in Fig. 1, the original Henry Farnam House was designed in a High Victorian Gothic style. Based on available resources of the original 1871 design, the house was highly ornate, with very prominent features including a turret with a conical roof and steeply gabled roofs with three large dormer windows. The walls are made of brownstone masonry, and the characteristic polychrome bands of High Victorian Gothic style appear in the arched hood moldings above the large windows as well as the building extension above the driveway. The one-story front porch exhibits an arch with Gothic style brackets and railings. More minor Gothic features include the arched windows held up by colonettes above the door and the ornate roof towers along the right side of the building.
As shown in Fig. 3, the renovated President’s House was designed in a much simpler Georgian / Colonial Revival style. The brownstone was replaced with brick, and the removal of the turret and other Gothic style elements revealed a much more symmetric and rectangular house. The porch was redesigned with a pediment and entableture supported by classical columns, and the classical features extend to the cornice and roof details. The windows were replaced by double-hung multi-pane sash windows characteristic of the Colonial Revival style, and the roof was revamped with the addition of four simpler dormers. The ornate roof towers were also replaced with much more simple chimneys.
The shift toward the more refined, clean, and classic Colonial Revival style seems fitting for the Office of the President, and the Gothic style appears somewhat unbalanced, overly complex, and confusing. The core focus on symmetry in the Colonial Revival style gives the current iteration of 43 Hillhouse Ave a sense of balance and stability—values critical to portray at the head of a university.
As shown in Fig. 3, the renovated President’s House was designed in a much simpler Georgian / Colonial Revival style. The brownstone was replaced with brick, and the removal of the turret and other Gothic style elements revealed a much more symmetric and rectangular house. The porch was redesigned with a pediment and entableture supported by classical columns, and the classical features extend to the cornice and roof details. The windows were replaced by double-hung multi-pane sash windows characteristic of the Colonial Revival style, and the roof was revamped with the addition of four simpler dormers. The ornate roof towers were also replaced with much more simple chimneys.
The shift toward the more refined, clean, and classic Colonial Revival style seems fitting for the Office of the President, and the Gothic style appears somewhat unbalanced, overly complex, and confusing. The core focus on symmetry in the Colonial Revival style gives the current iteration of 43 Hillhouse Ave a sense of balance and stability—values critical to portray at the head of a university.
Am, Vivian Yee 4:04, Oct 01, and 2010. “For Modern Administrators, One Mansion Is Too Many.” Yale Daily News, October 1, 2010. https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2010/10/01/for-modern-administrators-one-mansion-is-too-many/.
Carroll, Richard. “Buildings and Grounds of Yale University.” Publications on Yale History, September 1, 1979. https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/yale_history_pubs/3.
“Hillhouse Avenue Historic District, New Haven City, New Haven County, New Haven CT, 06511.” Accessed October 5, 2023. https://www.livingplaces.com/CT/New_Haven_County/New_Haven_City/Hillhouse_Avenue_Historic_District.html.
“Hillhouse Avenue: The President’s House | Visitor Center,” May 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210511095826/https://visitorcenter.yale.edu/book/hillhouse-avenue-presidents-house.
Kohler Ronan. “Yale University President’s House.” Accessed October 4, 2023. https://kohlerronan.com/portfolio/yale-university-2/.
Lewis, Henry G. Atlas of the City of New Haven Connecticut. G. M. Hopkins, 1888.
Lloyd-Thomas, Matthew. “President’s House Renovations Spark Controversy.” Yale Daily News, March 28, 2014. https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2014/03/28/presidents-house-renovations-spark-controversy/.
Scully, Vincent Joseph, Catherine Lynn, Erik Vogt, and Paul Goldberger. Yale in New Haven: Architecture & Urbanism. Yale University, 2004.
“Vision Government Solutions.” Accessed October 2, 2023. https://gis.vgsi.com/newhavenct/Parcel.aspx?Pid=13911.
Yale Architecture. “Tribal Land Acknowledgement.” Accessed October 5, 2023. https://www.architecture.yale.edu/about-the-school/tribal-land-acknowledgement.
Yale Daily News. “Extensive Alterations Transforming Henry Farnum House From Victorian Gothic to Colonial Mansion,” April 24, 1937. https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=d&d=YDN19370424-01.2.9&srpos=19&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-%2243+Hillhouse%22------.
Yale Daily News. “Seymour Will Occupy Henry Farnam’s House,” March 6, 1937. https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=d&d=YDN19370306-01.2.3&srpos=18&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-%2243+Hillhouse%22------.
Yale Daily News. “Seymours Move Into New Home,” December 11, 1937. https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=d&d=YDN19371211-01.2.4&srpos=20&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-%2243+Hillhouse%22------.
YaleNews. “Yale to Make Historic Investment in Engineering, Lower Hillhouse Avenue,” February 23, 2023. https://news.yale.edu/2023/02/23/yale-make-historic-investment-engineering-lower-hillhouse-avenue.
Carroll, Richard. “Buildings and Grounds of Yale University.” Publications on Yale History, September 1, 1979. https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/yale_history_pubs/3.
“Hillhouse Avenue Historic District, New Haven City, New Haven County, New Haven CT, 06511.” Accessed October 5, 2023. https://www.livingplaces.com/CT/New_Haven_County/New_Haven_City/Hillhouse_Avenue_Historic_District.html.
“Hillhouse Avenue: The President’s House | Visitor Center,” May 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210511095826/https://visitorcenter.yale.edu/book/hillhouse-avenue-presidents-house.
Kohler Ronan. “Yale University President’s House.” Accessed October 4, 2023. https://kohlerronan.com/portfolio/yale-university-2/.
Lewis, Henry G. Atlas of the City of New Haven Connecticut. G. M. Hopkins, 1888.
Lloyd-Thomas, Matthew. “President’s House Renovations Spark Controversy.” Yale Daily News, March 28, 2014. https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2014/03/28/presidents-house-renovations-spark-controversy/.
Scully, Vincent Joseph, Catherine Lynn, Erik Vogt, and Paul Goldberger. Yale in New Haven: Architecture & Urbanism. Yale University, 2004.
“Vision Government Solutions.” Accessed October 2, 2023. https://gis.vgsi.com/newhavenct/Parcel.aspx?Pid=13911.
Yale Architecture. “Tribal Land Acknowledgement.” Accessed October 5, 2023. https://www.architecture.yale.edu/about-the-school/tribal-land-acknowledgement.
Yale Daily News. “Extensive Alterations Transforming Henry Farnum House From Victorian Gothic to Colonial Mansion,” April 24, 1937. https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=d&d=YDN19370424-01.2.9&srpos=19&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-%2243+Hillhouse%22------.
Yale Daily News. “Seymour Will Occupy Henry Farnam’s House,” March 6, 1937. https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=d&d=YDN19370306-01.2.3&srpos=18&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-%2243+Hillhouse%22------.
Yale Daily News. “Seymours Move Into New Home,” December 11, 1937. https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=d&d=YDN19371211-01.2.4&srpos=20&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-%2243+Hillhouse%22------.
YaleNews. “Yale to Make Historic Investment in Engineering, Lower Hillhouse Avenue,” February 23, 2023. https://news.yale.edu/2023/02/23/yale-make-historic-investment-engineering-lower-hillhouse-avenue.
Researcher
Alexander Lan
Date Researched
Entry Created
N/A Date
Last Updated
N/A Date
Historic Name
Style
Colonial / GeorgianGothic RevivalCurrent Use
University/College, Detached Single-Family HouseEra
1860-1910Neighborhood
OtherTours
Year Built
1871
Architect
1871 Original: Russell Sturgis Jr.; 1937 Renovation: Kimball & Husted (Richard A. Kimball and Ellery Husted); 2013 Renovation: Charney Architects
Current Tenant
1871 - 1883 Henry Farnam, Ann Sophia Whitman Farnam 1883 - 1933 Henry Walcott Farnam 1937 - 1951 Charles Seymour 1951 - 1963 Alfred Whitney Griswold 1963 - 1977 Kingman Brewster, Jr. 1977 - 1978 Hanna Holborn Gray 1978 - 1986 Angelo Bartlett Giamatti 2014 - Present Peter Salovey, Marta Moret
Roof Types
GableStructural Conditions
Street Visibilities
Yes
Threats
None knownExternal Conditions
Dimensions
4,182 sq ft: ~82 x 50
Street Visibilities
Yes
Owner
Yale University
Ownernishp Type
Yale
Client
The house was originally built for and named after Henry Farnam, a businessman and railroad president who managed the construction of the Chicago and Rock Island railroad. He lived in the Farnam House with his wife Ann Sophia Whitman until his death in 1883. Ownership was then transferred to Yale, but Farnam Sr.’s son Professor Henry W. Farnam lived in the house until his death in 1933. Further renovations of the building were paid for by Yale University, with major renovations between 1934 and 1937 and most recently in 2013.
Historic Uses
ResidentialAnnotated photograph of 43 Hillhouse Ave in its pre-1934 High Victorian Gothic Style. Architectural features including turret with conical roof (blue), pointed arch windows (green), steeply gabled roofs (red), arched windows held up by colonettes (orange), polychrome bands of decorative masonry in brownstone (purple), and accented stone trims on the arched windows (pink). Attribution: PRESIDENT's HOUSE 17:9, 1871-1937. https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/10010731.
Architect’s Drawing of 43 Hillhouse Ave in its pre-1934 High Victorian Gothic Style. This drawing highlights the volume, complexity, and gothic features of the original Farnam House, especially with respect to the two adjacent buildings which appear simple, shorter, and smaller in comparison. Attribution: Architect's Drawing, Front Elevation (Prints of). 1716-2004. https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/10010907.
Annotated photograph of 43 Hillhouse Ave in its post-1937 Georgian Revival Style. New architectural features that changed from Fig. 1 include a brick façade, symmetry of the main house, a decorative doorway with a pediment and entableture supported by columns (red), double-hung multi-pane sash windows (blue), decorative cornice and simple hipped roofline (yellow), and dormer windows (green). Attribution: Andriy Prokopenko / Contributor for Getty Images, August 22, 2015
Interior Images from Kohler Ronan, the consulting firm behind the 2013 renovations. The home houses artwork from both the Yale University Art Galler and the British Art Museum that have strict temperature and humidity requirements. Mechanical system choices for the gallery areas were carefully coordinated with the curators of both institutions to ensure proper maintenance. Attribution: Yale University President’s House, Kohler Ronan. https://kohlerronan.com/portfolio/yale-university-2/
Many of the owners of the properties on upper Hillhouse Avenue in 1888 (Top) and 1911 (Bottom) were either successful businesspeople like Henry Farnam or professors and affiliates of Yale University like Professor Russell Henry Chittenden. Attribution (Top): Henry G. Lewis, Atlas of the City of New Haven Connecticut (G. M. Hopkins, 1888). Photo taken by Alex Lan at Whitney Library in New Haven Museum. Attribution (Bottom): Streuli & Puckafer Engineers, Atlas of New Haven Connecticut (Oscar W. Walker and Streuli & Puckafer, 1911). Photo taken by Alex Lan at Whitney Library in New Haven Museum.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of 43 Hillhouse Avenue. They reveal architectural features like the mansard roof, brick construction, and back patio. One notable change between 1930 and 1960 is the destruction of 47 Hillhouse Ave and the building at the back of the 43 Hillhouse property. Attribution: Insurance Maps of New Haven, Connecticut, Volume 2. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1923. Updated 1930 (Left) and 1960 (Right). Photos taken by Alex Lan at Whitney Library in New Haven Museum.
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