James Dwight Dana House, New Haven

James Dwight Dana House, New Haven

The James Dwight Dana House, also known as the Dana House, is a historic 19th-century Italianate house in New Haven. This building, designed by New Haven architect Henry Austin, was the home of Yale University geology professor James Dwight Dana (1813–95). It was declared a National Historic Landmark for its association with Dana, who produced the first published works emphasizing that the study of geology was a much broader discipline than the examination of individual rocks.

The Dana House consists of three roughly rectangular painted brick sections, 2-1/2 stories in height, with a low-pitch hip roof. The main block, apparently adapted from a stock pattern by New Haven architect Henry Austin, has a three-bay front facade, with a single-story porch extending across its width, supported by turned posts. The building's roof has typical Italianate wide eaves, with a wooden soffit and corbelled brickwork arches underneath. A square cupola rises above the main block.

The house was built in 1848-49 for James Dwight Dana and his bride Henrietta Silliman by her father, Benjamin Silliman, one of Yale's first professors of science. The house was purchased by Yale in 1962, and is currently home to its Department of Statistics. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. It is a contributing building in the Hillhouse Avenue Historic District.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.

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James Dwight Dana House on Map

Sight Name: James Dwight Dana House
Sight Location: New Haven, USA (See walking tours in New Haven)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

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