More historic homes to become Yale parking lots

On Sat., Oct. 10, the demolition of an historic French-style house on Davenport Ave. added friction to town-gown relations. In an agreement with the New Haven Preservation Trust, however, Yale has slated two more buildings of historical value, the Kingsley-Blake House and Maple Cottage of Trumbull Street, for demolition in the coming months.

The plans to demolish the Trumbull Street houses were part of an early spring agreement between Yale and the New Haven Preservation Trust that also called for the renovation of four other historic houses. Maple Cottage is currently abandoned and will be replaced by a landscaped parking lot. The house on Davenport Avenue, owned by Yale-New Haven Hospital, will become a parking lot and child dropoff area as well.

Patricia Pierce, School of Management (SOM) Dean of Student Affairs and an expert in the field of architectural preservation, said that the terms of the deal between Yale and the Trust stipulate a quid pro quo compromise. "The agreement included a commitment from Yale to do extremely high-quality restoration of a number of buildings," Pierce said. The Preservation Trust has agreed to stand aside and allow the Kingsley-Blake House and Maple Cottage to be razed in exchange for the renovations.

The Kingsley-Blake House on 88 Trumbull Street currently houses the Ethics, Politics, and Economics (EP&E) department. According to EP&E registrar Kelli Farnham, the department's seat will move to 31 Hillhouse Ave., the Abigail-Whelpley House, in which Yale's first president, Abraham Pierson, resided.

If another owner cannot be found by next February, though, the Kingsley-Blake House will be razed along with Maple Cottage, which had formerly housed the Yale Center for International and Area Studies.

The buildings that Yale will restore to conciliate the preservationists of the New Haven Trust include the Skinner-Trowbridge House at 46 Hillhouse and Yale's Visitor Information Center. The agreement commits the University to extensive consultation with the Preservation Trust during renovations.

Nonetheless, it took significant lobbying by the Preservation Trust to persuade Yale to take such measures. "The Trust has encouraged us to look at the need for balance between preservation and change," University planner Pam Delphenich said.

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