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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 33 A little-known Yale furniture collection finds a new home — and a new public presence — out West (Haven) From Tree to Table By Frank Rizzo Continued on Page 34 C U LT U R E : YA L E M U S E U M S W alking into the Leslie P. and George H. Hume American Furniture Study Center is like entering the final scene of Citizen Kane, where the camera slowly pans over a seem- ingly endless collection of objects stored in a vast, dark and mysteri- ous warehouse. Located at Yale's West Campus in Orange (the former Bayer Phar- maceutical corporate complex) the Yale University Art Gallery's Furniture Study is hardly a ware- house. Its more than 1,300 pieces of American furniture and clocks aren't crated, but rather displayed in all of their glory, organized by type and chronology and presented in agreeable conditions in a comfort- able environment. Following a year-long move, the vast collection is now open to the public for Friday tours and by special appointment. e Furniture Study (as it's informally known) is an appeal- ing addition to Yale's phalynx of museums and collection centers that include the Yale University Art Gallery, the Yale Center for British Art, the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural Histo- ry, to name just the best-known and publicly promoted centers open to the public without charge. ere's potential for greater pub- lic interest in the Furniture Study. While not everyone can relate to a Picasso or a Duchamp, a cool piece of furniture is something most any- one can understand, connect with and appreciate. While not as formal a setting as a museum — the Furniture Study's primary purpose is educational, with classroom sessions regularly held there — it's just one more addition to New Haven's art attrac- tions that make the city an even more powerful draw for connois- seurs, students and the art-loving hoi polloi. Take a load off: A chair made specially for (300-plus-pound) President William Howard Taft (a Yale College grad) is part of the Hume Furniture Study.