Osborn Memorial Laboratories, New Haven

Built in 1913 as the dedicated home for biology at Yale University, the Osborn Memorial Laboratories stand on Prospect Street in New Haven. Designed by architect Charles C. Haight-also known for his work on Columbia University's original campus-the building originally housed both zoology and botany departments, split between two wings: one facing Sachem Street and the other Prospect Street.

The laboratories are situated at the foot of Sachem’s Woods, the former estate of James Abraham Hillhouse, once known as Highwood. Today, the area is better known as Science Hill, a hub for Yale’s scientific research, also home to Kline Biology Tower, Sage Hall, and several chemistry and physics facilities. Osborn Labs sits across from Ingalls Rink and near the former location of the Yale School of Management.

Architecturally, Osborn is a fortress of masonry-from its facade to its sub-basement of raw brickwork. A large central archway, once a covered carriage entrance, leads into the building. Above it was a library complete with a faux-sky ceiling, now repurposed as a conference room. Over the years, the interior has been reconfigured many times, adapting to the evolving needs of scientific research and teaching.

Currently, the first floor and basement are used for teaching, while research takes place on the second through fourth floors. The fifth floor holds specialized facilities on the Sachem Wing and modern laboratories on the Prospect Wing, where a herbarium once stood. The building’s towers, though once functional, are no longer in active use.

Osborn Labs has been home to notable scientists including Joshua Lederberg and G. Evelyn Hutchinson. Today, it is primarily occupied by the Yale Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, continuing its legacy as a cornerstone of life sciences at Yale.