Augustus Russell Street
Encyclopedia
Augustus Russell Street was a philanthropist
who made significant donations to Yale University
.
He was born in New Haven, Connecticut
, the son of Titus Street (1758-1842), the founder of Streetsboro Township, Ohio
, and his wife, née Amaryllis Atwater (1764-1812). He was graduated from Yale in 1812 where he studied law, but he abandoned the profession for health reasons. He traveled in Europe from 1843 to 1848 studying art and modern languages. He inherited a fortune and used it for philanthropic endeavors.
He gave Yale its School of Fine Arts; Street Hall
, named for him, was designed by Peter Bonnett Wight
. He also established the Street Professorship of Modern Languages and the Titus Street Professorship in the Yale Theological department.
He married Caroline Mary Leffingwell on 16 October 1815; they had seven daughters, all of whom predeceased them. Only the eldest, Caroline Augusta Street, married and had children; her husband was Admiral Andrew Hull Foote
.
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
who made significant donations to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
He was born in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, the son of Titus Street (1758-1842), the founder of Streetsboro Township, Ohio
Streetsboro, Ohio
Streetsboro is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is formed from the former township of Streetsboro, which was formed from the Connecticut Western Reserve. It is nearly co-extant with the former Streetsboro Township; the village of Sugar Bush Knolls was also formed in part from a...
, and his wife, née Amaryllis Atwater (1764-1812). He was graduated from Yale in 1812 where he studied law, but he abandoned the profession for health reasons. He traveled in Europe from 1843 to 1848 studying art and modern languages. He inherited a fortune and used it for philanthropic endeavors.
He gave Yale its School of Fine Arts; Street Hall
Street Hall
Street Hall is a historic building on the Yale University campus. It was the first collegiate art school in the United States and a gift from Augustus Russell Street to Yale for the establishment its School of Fine Arts. It was designed by Peter Bonnett Wight....
, named for him, was designed by Peter Bonnett Wight
Peter Bonnett Wight
Peter B. Wight was a 19th century architect from New York City who worked there and in Chicago.-Biography:Wight's career "flourished in the 1860s and 1870s in New York, where he developed a decorative, historicist style that showed affinities to the work of European designers John Ruskin and...
. He also established the Street Professorship of Modern Languages and the Titus Street Professorship in the Yale Theological department.
He married Caroline Mary Leffingwell on 16 October 1815; they had seven daughters, all of whom predeceased them. Only the eldest, Caroline Augusta Street, married and had children; her husband was Admiral Andrew Hull Foote
Andrew Hull Foote
Andrew Hull Foote was an American naval officer who was noted for his service in the American Civil War and also for his contributions to several naval reforms in the years prior to the war. When the war came, he was appointed to command of the Western Gunboat Flotilla, predecessor of the...
.