09/04/2026
Completed in 1930 and named for its benefactor, John William Sterling, Sterling Memorial Library is one of Yale University's most prominent buildings and the largest library on campus. It currently houses approximately 4 million volumes across 16 floors of book stacks.
Grand Light restored a range of historic chandeliers, sconces, and ceiling fixtures for the Sterling Memorial Library's Linonia & Brothers Reading Room. Research showed that many of these were original early 20th century fixtures from renowned lighting manufacturer E.F. Caldwell & Co.
The fixtures were fully rewired, many of which having received a personally customized LED retrofit kit. Each chandelier received a new GU10 LED uplight configuration on alternating arms, while multiple ceiling fixtures were retrofitted with one of our custom-mounted Integrated/Dedicated LED disc driver kits for additional dimmable accent lighting and quality lumen output with far less energy consumed. Most fixtures were able to have their original finishes conserved through cleaning and metal waxing, while others were surface prepared and refinished.
It was a pleasure to contribute to the preservation of Yale's history through this award-winning project. Congratulations to Yale University on another successful renovation!
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