Brookings Hall is a

Collegiate Gothic Collegiate Gothic is an architectural style subgenre of Gothic Revival architecture, popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries for college and high school buildings in the United States and Canada, and to a certain extent Europ ...

landmark on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The building, first named "University Hall", was built between 1900 and 1902 and served as the administrative center for the 1904 World's Fair. The first cornerstone was laid on November 3, 1900. In 1899, after holding a national design competition, Washington University's administrators selected the

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

firm Cope and Stewardson (represented by James P. Jamieson) to design the building as the centerpiece of an extensive new campus maste
plan
The general contractor was Bright Construction Company. A large square tower with corner turrets and an arched passageway below was a favorite motif of the architects that they also used a

of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

(1897), the Quadrangle dormitories at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

(1894-1912), an
Rockefeller Hall
at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

(1904) and was likely inspired by the Great Gates o
Trinity
an
St. John's
colleges at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in England, where Cope and Stewardson are known to have visited. Since 1905, the building has served as Washington University's administrative center. Initially known as University Hall, the building was renamed Brookings Hall on June 12, 1928, in honor of board president Robert S. Brookings. There are numerous inscriptions on the building; most prominent is the inscription above the clock on the Western side which reads ''Cedunt Horae, Opera Manent'' ("The hours go by, the works remain"). The inscription on the east facade reads ''Discere Si Cupias Intra: Salvere Iubemus'' ("If you wish to learn, enter: we welcome you"). Alumnus

Steve Fossett James Stephen Fossett (April 22, 1944 – September 3, 2007) was an American businessman and a record-setting aviator, sailor, and adventurer. He was the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon and in a fixed-wing aircraf ...

used Brookings Hall as a

mission control center A mission control center (MCC, sometimes called a flight control center or operations center) is a facility that manages spaceflight, space flights, usually from the point of launch until landing or the end of the mission. It is part of the gr ...

for two of his attempts at circumnavigating the globe in a balloon, including his sixth and ultimately successful attempt in the ''Spirit of Freedom'' in 2002. Currently, South Brookings houses the Admissions Office and the administrative offices for the College of Arts and Sciences. North Brookings houses the Office of Student Financial Services, the Office of the Chancellor, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

References

External links

Washington University in St. Louis
{{coord, 38.6480, -90.3052, type:landmark_region:US-MO, display=title Washington University in St. Louis campus Gothic Revival architecture in Missouri University and college administration buildings in the United States Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's fair architecture in Missouri University and college buildings completed in 1902 1902 establishments in Missouri