Ida Noyes Hall is a three-story,

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

building located on the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

campus in Chicago, Illinois. Designed by

Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge was a successful architecture firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, operating between 1886 and 1915, with extensive commissions in monumental civic, religious, and collegiate architecture in the spirit and style of Henry ...

and completed in 1916, the building features fireplaces, a limestone exterior, intricately plastered ceilings, and elaborate wood paneling.

History

Ida Noyes Hall originally served as a women's clubhouse and gymnasium, and was built as a complement to the Reynolds Club and Hutchinson Commons, which provided social and recreational spaces for the men on campus. The construction of the building was made possible by a gift from La Verne Noyes in the memory of his late wife, Ida. Ida Noyes, née Smith, was born in Croton, N.Y., in 1853, though her family relocated to Iowa in 1857. She graduated from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

with a degree in teaching in 1874 and married La Verne Noyes in 1877. Upon its opening, Ida Noyes Hall hosted public lectures, club meetings, and social events. In January 2005 a portrait of Ida Noyes, painted by

Oliver Dennett Grover Oliver Dennett Grover (1861 Earlville, Illinois – 1927 Chicago), was an American landscape and mural painter, the son of lawyer Alonzo Jackson Grover. Early life Grover's family moved to Chicago early in his life. There he spent much of his t ...

and donated to the building by La Verne Noyes, was stolen from the building.

Renovations

In 1987, the gymnasium was converted into Max Palevsky Cinema. Since that time,

Doc Films The Documentary Film Group, better known as Doc Films, is a student-operated film society at the University of Chicago, Illinois, United States. According to a 2007 ''Chicago Tribune'' article, it is "the longest-running collegiate film society in ...

has screened movies every night of the academic year. In 1995, the murals on the third floor, originally created in 1918 to commemorate the quarter centennial of the University of Chicago and the opening of Ida Noyes Hall, were restored. In 2007, the building underwent repairs to address a crumbling facade and leaking roof, and in 2008, the University's

Booth School of Business The University of Chicago Booth School of Business (Chicago Booth or Booth) is the graduate business school of the University of Chicago. Founded in 1898, Chicago Booth is the second-oldest business school in the U.S. and is associated with 10 N ...

renovated the

natatorium A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

to create additional study space for student study groups. Currently, Ida Noyes Hall hosts student events, academic department events, corporate recruiting sessions, and private parties. It is home to the University of Chicago Pub and the Office of Career Advancement.https://careeradvancement.uchicago.edu/

Notable events

*Opening celebration and quarter centennial of the University of Chicago (1916) *Wedding reception of John D. Rockefeller IV and Sharon Percy Rockefeller (1967) *Used as a filming location for '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'' (2007) *The Chicago Hearing (2010) *Traditionally, the final day of the

University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt The University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt (or Scav Hunt, colloquially Scav) is an annual four-day team-based scavenger hunt held at the University of Chicago from Thursday to Sunday of Mother's Day weekend in May. The list of items, usually over 30 ...

takes place in Ida Noyes Hall (annually)

References

External links

Ida Noyes Hall Website
{{UChicago University of Chicago Buildings and structures in Chicago Gothic Revival architecture in Illinois Buildings and structures completed in 1916

History

Renovations

Notable events

See also

References

External links