The oldest known settlement at the present-day site of the college was the farm of Robert Newman, whose barn hosted the meeting that incorporated the Colony of New Haven in 1639.

Byers Hall, a three-story building of Indiana limestone, was built in 1903 and designed by Hiss and Weekes architects in the modified French Renaissance Style.

The Vanderbilt-Sheffield dormitory, a five-story building of the same material, was built between 1903 and 1906 by architect Charles C. Haight in the Gothic Revival style.

During ensuing controversy over the home's preservation, Henry Ford purchased the building and had it disassembled and re-erected at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan.

Warren, also Sterling Professor of Geology and Dean of the Sheffield Scientific School, wrote a biography of Silliman but only retained his appointment until 1938, two years before the college's opening.

In heraldic terms, the shield is described as "Arms: Argent, three piles wavy gules, on a fess vert three acorns or."

The Buttery, a student-run eatery in the basement that serves greasy goodness on weekday nights, is designed in the style of the 1950s and its surrounding area includes games such as ping pong, air hockey, and pool.

Students now enjoy a reconfigured dining hall and servery, a stadium-seating movie theater, and a large student activities space that includes a new art gallery, dance studio, gym, basketball court, weight room, buttery, game room, and television entertainment space.