Sterling Law Building, New Haven

Sterling Law Building, New Haven

The Sterling Law Building, home to Yale Law School, stands prominently on Wall Street in New Haven, right in the heart of the Yale University campus. Built between 1930 and 1931, the building was designed by architect James Gamble Rogers in the collegiate Gothic style, modeled after the traditional English Inns of Court. It occupies an entire city block, bordered by the Hall of Graduate Studies, Beinecke Library, Sterling Memorial Library, and Grove Street Cemetery.

Named after Yale alumnus and generous benefactor John William Sterling, a founding partner of Shearman & Sterling, the building is clad in brick, granite, and limestone, and surrounds a network of courtyards. It houses classrooms, administrative offices, the Lillian Goldman Law Library, a dining hall, a daycare center, and additional communal spaces.

The Sterling Law Building has been the focus of several restoration projects aimed at preserving its distinctive architectural elements and addressing issues of material deterioration and water leakage. In 2015, DBVW Architects, who had previously worked on adjacent Yale buildings, were brought in to continue ongoing repair efforts. SGH, another key contributor, investigated the condition of the structure's enclosure systems—brick and stone masonry, slate and copper roofs, and leaded-glass steel-framed windows. Their restoration work on the building’s iconic windows later became the standard for Yale's wider efforts to preserve its early 20th-century Gothic architecture.

Today, the Sterling Law Building remains a functional and symbolic centerpiece of Yale Law School, seamlessly blending historical design with the evolving needs of a modern academic institution.

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Sterling Law Building on Map

Sight Name: Sterling Law Building
Sight Location: New Haven, USA (See walking tours in New Haven)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

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