Silliman College

Silliman College, established in 1940, was created by unifying several pre-existing buildings along College, Grove, and Prospect Streets into a single residential college complex—the only Yale residential college formed by adapting older structures rather than building entirely anew. Its core incorporates Byers Hall (1903), originally a chemistry laboratory for the Sheffield Scientific School, and the Van Sheff and Whitney gymnasium buildings, which were repurposed into dining, common, and residential spaces. The college was named for Benjamin Silliman, the pioneering Yale chemist whose teaching helped lay the foundations of American scientific education. Over time, additional structures—such as the Head of College House and various connecting courtyards—were added to create today’s fully-built college. Renovated in 2007, Silliman today stands as one of Yale’s largest residential colleges, blending hints of the early-20th-century Sheffield Scientific School campus with today’s student life.