New Haven Independent

So noted Michael Morand, Yale’s vice president for New Haven and state affairs. He was referencing recent articles in the Times and Courant, as he introduced to the City Plan Commission Wednesday night a rendering of the planned renovation of the Swartwout Building and Street Hall, an extension of the Yale University Art Gallery that will span High Street on Chapel.

“I can tell you,” continued Morand, who in addition to his Yale day job serves as chairman of the Chamber of the Commerce, “that the building boom is not ending in this town. A new hotel is opening [the renovated Colony Inn], and you’ll notice that the artistic life in New Haven and Yale’s art gallery contribute importantly to the vitality here.”

Morand described the gallery, the first college-based art gallery in the country, as straining for space. The Swartwout Building, which originally was to go from High Street to York, was left unfinished because of the Great Depression and the iconic Louis Kahn Building was built adjacent to it in the early 1950s.

Swartwout has been the home of some of the gallery’s collections as well as home base for the university’s art history department. With the art historians’ move to the newly opened Loria Building on York Street, Swartwout will be restored and renovated and joined with Street Hall on the east side of High, the latter becoming part of the art gallery for the first time.

The aim of the renovation is to increase exhibition space, along with supporting storage, conservation, and educational and curatorial work areas. There will also be a roof addition

Lloyd DesBrisay of Polshek Partnership and Lawrence Regan, one of Yale’s senior architects, assisted Morand in fielding commissioners’ questions. The questions bore most importantly not on bricks and mortar or interior design, but rather on light.

In particular, City Engineer Dick Miller asked, “That side of Chapel Street is extremely dark. Does your plan include lighting?”

“There are three poles in front of Swartwout and two in front of Street,” said Desbrissay.

“And they light the sidewalk? I mean for people?”

“Well, it’s more ambient light,” the architect replied. “It’ll light up the banners primarily, calling attention to the exhibitions.”

“Well,” said Miller, “if that does it, fine. But my concern is not so much banners but pedestrians. It’s very very dark there. So I’m going to have to reserve judgment on this.”

“Oh I think we can fix it,” said Regan.”

“Look,” said Morand, “this is a main street for the campus and the city, so we share your concern.”

With its set of standard conditions, along with Miller’s added caution — Miller is a non-voting member and on the commission for his expertise — the commissioners approved Yale’s site plan.

Regan suggested a very rough estimate for the work would be in the $50 million range, and that preliminary work might begin as early February next year. Well before then, it’s highly likely Michael Morand, on behalf of Yale’s many other building projects, will be returning before the commission.