Furnished loft

Mark Zurolo ’01MFA

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After 60 years in the cramped basement of 149 York Street, the Art Gallery’s outstanding collection of American furniture has new breathing room. The Leslie P. and George H. Hume American Furniture Study Center, which includes more than 1,300 pieces, opened in September in a stunning two-story space on Yale’s West Campus. It’s like a supermarket of historic furniture, with pieces arranged in aisles by type and age—except that nothing here is for sale. 

The center joins a cluster of arts facilities on West Campus, including a photography studio, storage and study space for the university’s museums, and a conservation lab at the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage.