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 Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

. 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 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

. 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, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

firm

Cope & Stewardson Cope and Stewardson (1885–1912) was a Philadelphia architecture firm founded by Walter Cope and John Stewardson, and best known for its Collegiate Gothic building and campus designs. Cope and Stewardson established the firm in 1885, and were jo ...

(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 research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

(1897), the Quadrangle dormitories at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

(1894-1912), an
Rockefeller Hall
at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...

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

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in England, where Cope & 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 Robert Somers Brookings (January 22, 1850 – November 15, 1932) was an American businessman and philanthropist, known for his involvement with Washington University in St. Louis and his founding of the Brookings Institution. Early life Robert ...

. 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 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