The Betts House holds an important historic past making it a special space on campus and an important background to know. It was completed in 1868 and acquired by Yale in 1972. John M. Davies, who owned a shirt-manufacturing company with Oliver Winchester, was the original owner. Around 1947 the Culinary Institute of America purchased the estate; however, they quickly outgrew the capacity.
Yale acquired the building and it sat vacant for almost thirty years. Yale planned to demolish the mansion, but student activists fought for its restoration. In 1990 a fire destroyed the interior and upper levels. In 2000 Yale began a $13.5 million renovation and renamed the building after receiving a major gift towards the renovation from Roland Betts.
Yale Conferences & Events manages all space reservations for three rooms on the first floor, The Parlor, The Library, and Betts Conference Room 105.
