Yale to Give Free Tour of Betts House August 15

Published: July 16, 2009

New Haven, Conn. — Yale University will open historic Betts House, formerly known as the Davies Mansion, to the public on August 15 at 10 a.m. for a tour that will highlight the building’s architectural history and recent renovation. The tour will also include the recently completed Maurice R. Greenberg International Conference Center.

Betts House, currently home to the Yale Office of International Affairs, the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization and the World Fellow’s Program, was built in 1868 for John M. Davies, a partner at the New Haven-based Winchester Repeating Rifle Company.  The French Second Empire style home, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, remained a private residence until 1947 when the property was purchased by the Culinary Institute of America. After serving for twenty-five years as that organization’s headquarters, Yale purchased the property and it was extensively renovated between 2000-2002.

The Greenberg Center, designed by the firm of Robert A. M. Stern, Dean of the Yale School of Architecture, was completed in Spring 2009.  This small conference facility is intended for international leadership programs and features seminar rooms, classrooms and an amphitheater. Its traditional style complements Betts House.

The tour will take approximately 90 minutes and begins at Betts House (393 Prospect Street).

The Yale University campus has more than 250 buildings, designed and constructed over the course of two-and-a-half centuries. About half of these were originally built for other users, but after being acquired by the University, have been carefully restored, updated and repurposed. In addition to the special historic preservation tour on August 15, the Yale Visitor Center offers free campus tours 352 days a year: weekdays at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; and weekends at 1:30 p.m.

PRESS CONTACT: Gila Reinstein 203-432-1325