Old Campus, New Haven, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

Old Campus is the historic quadrangle at the heart of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and the traditional home of Yale's first-year students. It holds Connecticut Hall, the oldest surviving building on the Yale campus, and sits right beside the New Haven Green, so it is an easy first stop on any walk through the city centre.

The story behind it

Yale was founded in 1701 and settled in New Haven in the 1710s. The college grew around this patch of ground beside the Green, which became known as the Old Campus. Early on it was lined with a row of brick buildings, and Connecticut Hall, completed in the 1750s, is the one that survives from that era.

The hall is tied to Nathan Hale, who studied at Yale and graduated in 1773. He later served in the American Revolution and was hanged by the British in 1776 as a spy. A bronze statue of him stands in front of Connecticut Hall. Over the 19th and early 20th centuries the quad filled out with newer halls, a chapel and gateways, giving it the mix of brick and Gothic styles you see today.

What to look for

• Connecticut Hall is a plain, simple brick building that looks very different from the grand stone architecture around it, which makes its age easy to spot.
• The statue of Nathan Hale in front of Connecticut Hall shows the young graduate bound and facing forward, and it is a popular spot for photographs.
• Phelps Gate, the stone archway on the corner of the quad near Chapel and College Streets, is the classic way into Old Campus.
• The dormitory buildings on every side mix Gothic-style stonework with older brick, so turn slowly in the middle of the lawn and compare them.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 20 to 30 minutes to walk the quad and look around, or longer if you want to read the building names and take photographs.
• The grounds are generally open to walk through, but the residence halls are student housing and are not open to visitors. Keep your voice down near the entrances.
• Early morning is usually the calmest time and gives the best light on the brick and stone.
• The New Haven Green and the shops and cafes of Chapel Street are a few steps away. Yale also has museums nearby, so check current opening hours before you plan to go in.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in New Haven is a good way to see Old Campus as one stop in a longer walk through the area. You reach it on foot, the app tells you about the place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

New Haven Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. suits a place so tied to Yale's traditions. You pass Old Campus as part of a self-guided route, hear about each place as you get there, and work out a puzzle on the spot. It is paid, and one ticket covers the whole group.