Yale Postcards

Arthur K. Watson Hall

Overview of Arthur K. Watson Hall

Arthur K. Watson Hall at Yale University was originally built in 1894-95 as the Sheffield Chemical Laboratory (designed by the architects J. Cleaveland Cady, Berg & See) for the Sheffield Scientific School. In 1923 it was repurposed as the Sheffield Laboratory of Engineering Mechanics, and over the decades housed ROTC offices, laboratories, and the School of Music. In the mid-1980s the building underwent a comprehensive gutting and interior reconstruction, and was rededicated as Arthur K. Watson Hall in honour of alumnus and diplomat Arthur Kittredge Watson (Yale College ’42), becoming home to Yale’s Department of Computer Science. 

Then-and-Now at Arthur K. Watson Hall

In the below, the view on the left is what appears in one of the postcards from the collection, and the view on the right is a photo taken of the same camera angle in 2025.  Use the slider to see how these views compare more than a century apart!

Then Now

Postcard Views of Arthur K. Watson Hall

Click or tap any of the postcard photos in the below gallery to zoom-in and explore further.

Front and Back of Arthur K. Watson Hall Postcards

Mouse-over or tap any of the below postcards to see what the other side looks like!