Yale Art and Architecture Building

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The Yale Art and Architecture Building as seen from the rooftop of an adjacent building

The Yale Art and Architecture Building is one of the earliest and best known examples of Brutalist architecture in the United States.

1 Construction
2 Fire
3 Renovation
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Construction

Designed by architect Paul Rudolph and completed in 1963, the complex building contains over thirty floor levels in its seven stories. The building is made of ribbed, bush-hammered concrete. The design was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and the later buildings of Le Corbusier.

When the building first opened, it was praised widely by critics and academics, and received several prestigious awards, including the Award of Honor by the American Institute of Architects.

[edit] Fire

As time went by the reaction to the building became more negative. A large fire on the night of June 14, 1969 caused extensive damage and during the repairs, many changes were made to Rudolph's original design. Some have claimed that the fire was the result of arson committed by a disgruntled student, but this charge has remained unproven. Another unproven theory holds that a small group of Yale architecture students hated the building so much that they decided that it should be destroyed.

[edit] Renovation

In more recent years there has been an increased appreciation of the structure. The School of Art moved out to its own building and the edifice is undergoing an addition and renovation with the intent of restoring it to the design originally envisioned by Rudolph. The renewed structure will restore the rooftop penthouse, a dismantled student lounge, and previously destroyed bridges and will be adjoined to a new Art History department.

The commission for the renovation went to Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, of which Charles Gwathmey is a Yale Alumnus. Previous renovation schemes have been commissioned by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Richard Meier, and Beyer Blinder Belle.