«New Haven is a time machine». Those were the initial words of Dr. Charles Mercier, my professor of Music and Classical Language, before our class began the architectural tour of New Haven. The best part of this is that my professor’s words accurately describe this city in New England. Churches were built in the Renaissance style; house façades were constructed in the Sumerian, Egyptian, and Greco-Roman styles; Yale University’s secret societies were built in buildings that hide their secrets within their headquarters, designed like ancient tombs. Indeed, «New Haven is a time machine».
New Haven was founded by Puritan communities coming from England during the 17th century. Following the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the United States entered a period of prosperity that lasted well into the 19th century, before the onset of the Civil War (1861–1865). During this period, American architecture began to embrace classical styles, drawing inspiration from European traditions. This influence is evident in the Renaissance-style churches and the Palazzo-style buildings; the Egyptian columns adorning the gates of Grove Street Cemetery, as well as the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns gracing the porticos of residential buildings around Wooster Square. Furthermore, Yale University, situated at the city’s core, exemplifies this architectural diversity with its Gothic Revival architecture, which is blended seamlessly alongside modern structures around the campus. In other words, «Yale’s buildings are an integral part of the story of New Haven architecture and are a fascinating cornucopia of architectural styles»(1).
For this paper, I have chosen the Sterling Memorial Library. This magnificent building, with its galvanized steel framework and tremendous Gothic Revival stone façade, captured my attention completely. The library’s façade, a towering stone structure with pointed arches, tracery, and stained-glass windows, reminds me of the grandeur of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages, where the interplay of light and verticality was used to elevate the pleas of the people to God. Nevertheless, the aesthetic of the Sterling Library suggests a sense of sacredness without being a cathedral itself, but a shrine of wisdom and learning.
«Completed in 1930, it houses more than 2.5 million volumes, with a focus on humanities and area studies, on 14 floors of book stacks. Designed by architect James Gamble Rogers (Yale Class of 1889) and later named for its benefactor, John William Sterling (Yale Class of 1864), the library is built in the Collegiate Gothic style to resemble a European cathedral»(2).
As a legionary brother in formation, I am aware that the Holy Catholic Church has used architecture as a medium for evangelization, as seen in the great churches and basilicas of Europe, which inspire and direct the soul toward God. In the same way, I will use the historic design of the Sterling Memorial Library as a reminder of God’s presence in the pursuit of knowledge.
Faith and reason are not enemies. Instead, Pope St. John Paul II wisely asserts in the introduction of Fides et Ratio (1998) that «Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth». And what better example is there than an entire library that fosters this harmony between faith and reason in its architecture and collection of books?
Foot notes
- W. A. Wiedersheim, «New Haven Architecture», in F. Shumway – R. Hegel (edd.), New Haven: An Illustrated History, Windsor Publications, United States 1981, 149.
- Sterling Memorial Library, «Sterling Memorial Library», in https://web.library.yale.edu/building/sterling-memorial-library (referenced on April 8, 2025).
