46 Hillhouse — 1832

History

This two-story Greek revival mansion was built for Aaron Skinner, a young Yale graduate and lawyer. Based on the G.B. Greenough house in London and completed around 1832, the Skinner House includes a facade made of brick covered with stucco, a technique meant to resemble stonework. In 1858, the house was purchased and remodeled by Judge William Boardman. In the early 20th century, Rutherford Trowbridge acquired the property and added a new wing with a center staircase, music room and dining room. Yale acquired the property in 1978, after the death of the last Trowbridge family occupant.  In 1999, a comprehensive renovation of the Skinner-Trowbridge house reconfigured and restructured the building for offices and handicap accessibility. Maintaining the integrity of the original design, custom-made bookcases were built to match the existing woodwork, the stained glass windows were restored and an ornate gilded plaster- and wood-framed mirror, recovered from the house, was mounted above the fireplace in what is now a first floor library. The International Center for Finance at the Yale School of Management moved into the building once the renovation was complete and continues to occupy the building today.

Did You Know?

Original occupant Aaron Skinner ran a boy’s boarding school out of his home in the mid-19th century.