Sterling Chemistry Laboratory

The Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, completed in 1923, was one of Yale’s most ambitious science buildings of the early 20th century and a key milestone in the University’s modernization of its science programs and departments. Funded in large part by John W. Sterling’s landmark bequest, the laboratory was designed by architects Walter B. Chambers and H. Allen Jacobs in a grand Collegiate Gothic style that visually linked advanced research to Yale’s traditional aesthetic. For decades the lab has served as the center of teaching and research in chemistry, chemical engineering, and related sciences, housing cutting-edge laboratories and some of Yale’s most influential scientists. By the early 2000s the building had grown outdated, prompting a major renovation completed in 2016 that transformed the complex into a state-of-the-art facility while preserving its historic exterior. Today, Sterling Chemistry Lab remains one of Yale’s flagship STEM buildings.