Original President's House at 115 Vernon (1885-1978). Photo taken ca. 1885. Photo credit: Trinity College Archives

The President's House provides housing on campus for the Trinity College president and their family. It is currently located at 133 Vernon Street.

There is mention in the 1878 Trinity Tablet that President Thomas Church Brownell, the College's first president, moved into a “new President's house” in 1825, but no specific location is listed. It is likely that the house was not on campus but located nearby, such as on Washington Street.

The original President's House on the Summit Street campus was 115 Vernon Street, built in 1885 under the presidency of George Williamson Smith and designed by New York architect Frederick C. Withers. The 115 Vernon location remained the President's House for 93 years until the completion of 133 Vernon, after which it transitioned into housing for the English Department and Writing Center, which had previously been located in Seabury Hall. This move was to accommodate their growth and free space in Seabury.

The current President's House was designed with separated wings for private living and public events, in the hopes of maintaining privacy for the family. It was designed and built in 1978 by Trinity alumna Sherry Jeter with Jeter, Cook and Jepson Architects Incorporated. The architects attempted to blend together many different styles represented on campus. These included a residential style, the Victorian style of 115 Vernon, the Tudor style of Ogilby Hall, and the gothic style of buildings along the The Long Walk.

President's House at 133 Vernon Street, April 1999. Photo credit: Jon Lester courtesy of Trinity College Archives

Traditionally, Trinity Presidents have lived in the President's House with their families, demonstrating “authority and leadership” by having their presence physically on campus.

In 1992, President Tom Gerety moved his family to a residential area in Hartford, after which the President's House was converted into an Admissions Center. In an interview with the Trinity Tripod, Gerety said, “It was the culmination of a long reflection of the isolation of our children, and the need for a more normal life as a family.” While some students expressed concerns that Gerety would be less visible on campus, he disagreed.

Under President Evan Dobelle in 1995, the President's House was reconverted to its original use, as he believed “the President of the College should reside on the campus so as to be directly in touch with the daily pulse of the institution and to avoid the development, in his words, of an 'aloof or a corporate-style' presidency.” ¹⁾

Public Art CT: Trinity College The President's House

Trinity College in the Twentieth Century (2000) by Peter and Anne Knapp, pp. 34, 502.

Trinity Tripod, 01/28/1992.

The Trinity Reporter, November/December 1977, p. 1.

The Trinity Tablet, 09/29/1884.

The Trinity Tablet, 06/08/1878.