Farnam Hall – Old Campus

Farnam Hall, completed in 1870, was the first of the Victorian Gothic dormitories built during Yale’s 19th-century redevelopment of what would become Old Campus. Designed by Russell Sturgis, it represented a sharp break from Yale’s older Georgian brick buildings, introducing pointed arches, stone trim, and a more picturesque silhouette. The hall was funded through the bequest of Henry Farnam, a railroad magnate and Yale benefactor, whose support helped launch the broader modernization of Yale’s residential facilities. For many years it housed a mix of upper-classmen and, later, first-year students as the Old Campus became the hub of freshman life. Today, Farnam remains a defining landmark on the southern edge of Old Campus and is home to the freshmen of Jonathan Edwards College.