Clarence Whittlesey Mendell, Dean of Yale College, had been named Master in 1931 and he held the post until 1943.

Frank Lloyd Wright is said to have been asked where he would choose to be if he could be anywhere in the U.S. and responded that he would pick Harkness Tower so he would not have to look at it.

The Branford Dining Hall is located above the common room parallel to York Street.

A smaller, cozier room traditionally called The Pit, also known as the Small Dining Hall, is frequently reserved by student groups for dinner meetings.

The room, which is located between the Branford and Brothers in Unity Courts (joined by the Jared Eliot gateway) is used for seminars and meetings of small student organizations.

The student rooms and common areas are decorated with stained glass by G. Owen Bonawit.

The basement of the College houses the College's student-run buttery, a computer cluster, a small weight room, two squash courts, a dance studio, a basketball court, a digital media center, a game room, a student kitchen, a pottery studio, a printing press, and laundry facilities.