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Left on the drawing board Manuscripts and ArchivesView full image Manuscript and ArchivesView full image Michael MarslandView full imageLibrary plans, shelvedIt’s remarkable that Dwight Hall, Yale’s second-oldest building (bottom), is still with us—considering that, on two separate occasions, the university had made plans to demolish it. The building was constructed on the Old Campus in 1846 as the college’s first freestanding library. It became known as the Old Library after two additional buildings were put up to house Yale’s growing collection of books: Chittenden Hall (1890) and Linsly Hall (1907). Each was originally designed to stretch the entire length of the High Street side of Old Campus—sacrificing the Old Library in the process. As it happened, only about a quarter of the plan for Chittenden (top) was finished. And any thoughts of completing Linsly’s design (center) went away when Yale built the vastly bigger Sterling Memorial Library. Linsly and Chittenden became classrooms and offices. The Old Library, saved twice from the wrecking ball, became a very convincing chapel and home to Dwight Hall, the university’s center for public service and social justice.
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