Chromosome condensation is an essential process in which a eukaryotic cell¿s DNA is organized and compacted during mitosis and meiosis. In budding yeast, chromosome condensation is mediated by the condensin complex, an essential and evolutionarily conserved ATPase that extrudes DNA into loops during mitosis. Histone proteins also serve a significant role in DNA organization and condensation; the DNA wraps around histone octamers containing two subunits each of H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 to form the nucleosome, which is the fundamental unit of chromatin organization. Linker histones and histone variants additionally contribute to the regulation of chromatin structure and function. Histone H2A.Z, a variant of H2A, has been shown to promote chromosome stability in budding yeast, while the linker histone H1, which resides at the DNA entry and exit sites of the nucleosome, has been shown to facilitate higher order chromatin compaction in vitro. However, roles for histones H1 and H2A.Z in mitotic chromosome condensation in budding yeast have not been demonstrated. In this study, we provide evidence that H2A.Z and H1 have opposing roles in chromosome condensation. Deletion of HTZ1 (coding for H2A.Z) causes defects in rDNA condensation, and the additional deletion of HHO1 (coding for H1) rescues these defects. We also find that the partial depletion of H2A.Z at metaphase does not alter rDNA condensation, and that the loss of histone H1 rather exhibits gene- and allele-specific suppression of condensin mutant temperature-sensitive growth defects. Our results suggest that H2A.Z promotes the establishment of chromosome condensation, while H1 opposes condensation in the absence of H2A.Z. Moreover, this thesis demonstrates how local chromatin structure influences global chromosome condensation during mitosis.