James Dwight Dana House facts for kids
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James Dwight Dana House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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James Dwight Dana house in 2009
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 24 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut |
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| Built | 1849 |
| Architect | Henry Austin |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Part of | Hillhouse Avenue Historic District (ID85002507) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000874 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | January 12, 1965 |
| Designated CP | September 13, 1985 |
The James Dwight Dana House is a cool old home in New Haven, Connecticut. It's also known as the Dana House. This historic house was built in the 1800s and looks like an Italianate style building.
It was designed by an architect named Henry Austin. The house was once the home of James Dwight Dana, a famous geology professor from Yale University. He lived there from 1813 to 1895. The house is so important that it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1965. Dana was special because he taught people that geology was more than just looking at rocks. He showed it was about understanding how the Earth works!
About the Dana House
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The Dana House is made of painted brick. It has three main parts and is about two and a half stories tall. The roof is low and flat, which is typical of the Italianate style. A porch with cool posts runs across the front of the house. The roof has wide edges and fancy brick designs underneath. A square tower, called a cupola, sits on top of the main part of the house.
The house was made bigger in 1896 and 1905. These new parts matched the style of the original building. Inside, many of the original details are still there.
History of the House
The house was built in 1848-1849 for James Dwight Dana and his wife, Henrietta Silliman. Henrietta's father, Benjamin Silliman, helped build it. He was one of Yale's first science professors.
The design by Henry Austin was not super fancy. There are two other similar houses in the area. Yale University bought the house in 1962. Today, it is home to Yale's Department of Statistics & Data Science. The university fixed up the house in 1996.
The Dana House was named a National Historic Landmark in 1965. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. It is part of the Hillhouse Avenue Historic District.
Who Was James Dwight Dana?
James Dwight Dana was a very important scientist. He studied geology, which is the study of Earth's physical structure and history. He learned a lot from Professor Silliman.
Dana also went on a big trip called the United States Exploring Expedition. This trip lasted four years, from 1838 to 1842. On this journey, Dana was the main geologist and mineralogist. He saw many different types of rocks and landforms.
In 1862, Dana wrote a major book called Manual of Geology. This book was very important. It was one of the first to explain geology as more than just describing rocks. Dana showed that geology is about understanding how big landforms like mountains and valleys were made. He helped people see the bigger picture of how our Earth formed.
