Alwin Hall

31 Hillhouse represents the simplistic gem amongst a slew of old-money extravagance on Hillhouse Avenue. While strolling up the avenue, it feels as if you’re walking through time. From the Collegiate Gothic wonder that is Sheffield Sterling Strathcona Hall to the modernity of 17 Hillhouse to the Ricardsonian Romanesque of several mansions on northern portion of the avenue, the sole continuity lies in the oak trees flanking the boulevard. In the idyllic promenade, you may stop and stare at the simplicity that is Allwin Hall. Nested between a grand Greek Revival home with tremendous Corinthian columns and a majestic Italianate Villa, 31 Hillhouse is astounding in its apparent plainness. Its large rectangular facade covered with beige horizontal wooden planks and interspersed rectangular windows is reminiscent of an average suburban home, rather than a 200-year old estate commissioned by one of the foremost names in New Haven history. The olive shutters lining each window and matching door bring a sense of comfortable quaintness to the property. What it lacks in grandiose adornaments, the building makes up in its rich history to the New Haven gentry. It is the oldest original Hillhouse mansion still standing –– one that housed namesakes of two residential colleges and the University President tasked with maintaining the grandeur of his predecessor, Theodore Woolsey. Alongside most of the avenue, it evolved to house multiple Yale teaching spaces and academic departments in the wood-panelled rooms authentic to the original Abigail Whelpley House. Throughout its narrative, 31 Hillhouse has been a refuge from the congestion of greater New Haven, both as an elite residential haven and as an academic retreat.