As part of the city of New Haven’s impressive program to reinvigorate its public school system, the Truman School and the Clinton Avenue School were renovated and expanded between 2003-2005 (architect: Kenneth Boroson). Using the classical architecture of the old school buildings as an inspiration, new ornamented metal arcades tie the old and new buildings together.

The ornament includes foliated rails below, cast and fabricated foliated column capitals, and the arches themselves. The archways include cast elements, which repeat the forms used in the rail below, and an energetic foliated scroll comprised of compound, hand-wrought branches and leaves.

While the new entryways fulfill the building program of providing a ground level entrance and off street bus parking, the ornament also provides a celebratory and majestic gateway into each of the schools.