In search of the best campus views, YourYale gained special access to tour some of the university’s tallest towers and buildings. Each perch offered a unique vantage point to take in iconic landmarks and distinctive architectural aspects of the campus and the City of New Haven. Find your favorite among these lofty perspectives.
On top of the world
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View from Rudolph Hall
When you step out onto Paul Rudolph Hall’s seven-story-high terrace, you almost cower at the sight of Harkness Tower rising eye-level out of the landscape. In your peripheral vision, you catch the sun glinting off Pierson College’s gold-leafed dome, and it leads your eye to a sunlit overstory of trees that blend into West Rock Ridge. The tower’s Georgian-Revival-style architecture is in stark contrast to the gothic spires of Dwight Hall behind it. Inspired by Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, the white, wooden tower reveals a base of clocks that ascend to finials and mock-shuttered windows, which smoothly crescendo up the base of the dome to its gold cap and delicate cast-bronze weathervane.
View from Kline Tower
Whether you look east, west, north, or south, all views from the top of Kline Tower, Yale’s tallest building, are spectacular. Following your arrival by elevator onto the 14th floor into a space with windowed walls, you’re drawn to the glass, compelled to walk the whole perimeter of the space to look out on Science Hill and New Haven. But it is the south-east panorama with a wide swath of the Long Island Sound that sings to you as only water meeting horizon can. In detail, spy a seagull in flight to the left above two slow-moving tankers, or turn your gaze to the peninsula (Five Mile Point) as it tumbles to the 148-year-old lighthouse in Lighthouse Park Point.
View from Swensen Tower
At the top of Swensen Tower in the Faculty Lounge, 14 floors up, the view that stops you in your tracks is the sheer gothic bulk of Yale Law School on the left and Sterling Memorial Library (SML) on the right. Each building occupies one city block. Between them is the tree-lined Alexander Walk where you catch sight of a bright red truck that looks like a children’s toy. Capturing your attention is what crowns the architectural scene-stealers — the music library’s roof on SML, and the Law School’s chimneys, green-copper folly, and four ornate spires. Close-up you can see that these limestone legends are adorned with sculptured owls, which symbolize wisdom and justice, a fitting emblem for a law school.
View from the Integrated Science & Technology Center
The buildings on the Yale West Campus are no taller than four stories. Looking out from the roof of the Integrated Science & Technology Center toward the east, you’re not so much gazing skyward as straight ahead at modern buildings whose exteriors spark your curiosity. What is going on inside those brick and concrete boxes? What work is happening behind those windows? Turns out Yale researchers are engaged in ground-breaking scientific endeavors. On the left is the Advanced Biosciences Center (ABC), home to the Institutes of Cancer Biology and Microbial Sciences. To the right is the Molecular Innovations Center, where the Institute of Biomolecular Design & Discovery has its labs and offices. The stacks on top of the ABC, striking in detail, allude to the mechanics that keep the operations humming.
View from the Central Power Plant
Twice a month, the Central Power Plant offers tours primarily for undergraduate and graduate students studying physics and engineering. The plant’s operations and mechanics are explained, and you get a peek into the infamous (and blocked off) tunnels; the roof proved to be the highlight. After climbing the stairs, visitors are treated to a nearly 360-degree view of the campus and the cityscape. The Gothic-style Humanities Quadrangle stands out, along with the uniquely modern Morse College, the light-colored stone of Payne Whitney Gym, and most notably, the peaceful Grove Street Cemetery. From above, one can see the scattered arrangement of old and new headstones and a variety of mature trees.
View from Harkness Tower
Passing Harkness Tower, take a moment to gaze skyward and admire its impressive 216-foot height, Gothic architecture, ornate stone finials, and numerous statues and gargoyles. For those curious about its interior, members of the Yale University Guild of Carillonneurs offer tours, guiding visitors up 130 winding steps. While the student-players clang out a tune on the carillon console, visitors can step out onto one of the tower’s balconies. Facing north, looking down at the grid of sidewalks and emerald lawn in Branford College’s courtyard, a sense of serenity descends. Harkness’ thick stone walls buffer the city’s clamor, leaving viewers to contemplate the verdant grounds below.
View from Bass Tower
Bass Tower rises 192 feet from the corner of Pauli Murray College. Its setbacks, stone trim, carvings, and deeply arched openings create a sense of grandeur. From its upper level, looking south, one can see across campus and the city. Notable landmarks include Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall rising nine stories, the charcoal-gray spire of St. Mary’s Church, the Beaux-arts style Schwarzman Center Dome (made of lead-coated copper), the Connecticut Financial Center Building (New Haven’s tallest building), and on the horizon the shimmering Long Island Sound.
