Yale Economic Growth Center

Taking a stroll down what Mark Twain and Charles Dickens claimed to be “the most beautiful street in America,” you would find yourself impressed by the grandeur of almost all of the buildings that are found along the street. Buildings that are the home of Steinbach Hall and Yale’s Undergraduate Admissions Office showcase picturesque features and ornate detailing, obviously the work of master architects. However, one building that often is overshadowed by its neighbors is 27 Hillhouse Avenue. A rather simple building, this three-story Italianate building is one of the first buildings that you see when moving past lower Hillhouse Avenue into the historic Hillhouse district. Besides the beautiful detailing on the top of the support pillars of the entry porch, there is not much flair to the building. Home of Yale’s Economic Growth Center, you think that it’s quite coincidental that the least decorated and probably most inexpensive building on the street houses a center made to research long-term economic growth (until you find out that the Department of Economics presides across the street in a building that exudes much more grandeur). However, at 27 Hillhouse, there is a rich history to the residents that have enjoyed the shelter of the building. Hillhouse Avenue today is the home of many of Yale’s institutional buildings, but in the 1860’s was a neighborhood for esteemed Yale faculty. While some of the buildings are mansions in comparison to the humble 27 Hillhouse, the buildings themselves do better represent residential spaces when looking at the larger halls that preside on lower Hillhouse Ave.