Vanderbilt Hall – Old Campus

Vanderbilt Hall, completed in 1894, was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II as an ornate memorial to his son, William Henry Vanderbilt II. Designed by architect Charles C. Haight, the Collegiate Gothic dormitory replaced South College of the Old Brick Row and helped define the new architectural direction of Old Campus. Haight’s design created a Tudor-style gatehouse facing Chapel Street, enclosing the southern edge of the yard and introducing one of Yale’s early monumental quadrangle forms. Inside, Vanderbilt Hall was famously lavish for its time, with marble, oak paneling, and oriel windows that made it “the costliest and most magnificent college dormitory in America.” Today, it remains a freshman residence—home to Branford and Saybrook College first-years—and one of the most iconic outward-facing structures of Old Campus.