Hanna Hall
From KCpedia
Hanna Hall is a building of the Tudor Gothic Collegiate type. It was constructed using rusticated sandstone with bold ashlar moldings and stringcourses. It is located just northwest of Old Kenyon and helps to make up the south quad.
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The Origin of Hanna Hall
In 1901, U.S. Senator Marcus A. Hanna and Ohio Governor George K. Nash accepted invitations to attend that year's Commencement ceremonies. On June 26, the two politicians were present at the Kenyon Alumni Luncheon in Philomathesian Hall. Almost immediately following a speech by Bishop Vincent, in which he discussed the overcrowding of Old Kenyon and the greatness of politicians, Hanna announced his intention of donating a gift of $50,000 for the building of a new dorm to be called the “Politicians’ Barracks.” At the time, this was the single largest gift ever given to the college. Hanna had a vested interest in the Episcopal Church and its place at Kenyon. He watched as a score of distinguished men, including Bishop Leonard, President Peirce, and Governor Nash, exploded into jubilation for Kenyon's good fortune.
The Board of Trustees Minutes from February 11, 1902 mention Hanna's gift. By this time it had been decided that the new dorm would be named after his wife Charlotte Augustus Rose Hanna.
The Original Plan
A November, 1901 issue of the Collegian reports of a meeting held on October 17, 1901 between two members of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, Charles E. Burr, class of 1865, and D.B Kirk, class of 1869, in which they approved the construction of Hanna Hall and chose its site.
At this meeting, it was decided that Hanna would be a “building of Oxford [Tudor] Collegiate type” and to “bear more resemblance to that of Bexley Hall than any other of the college buildings.” The front door of Hanna was to be 25 feet west and 140 feet north of Old Kenyon, and it was to be at a perfect right angle to the building.
Hanna decided a number of the stipulations about the building as well. It was to be two stories in height, with 3 story gables. The dimensions would be 140 feet in length and 48 feet deep. It was also meant to include 3 separate divisions that had no connection with one another.
Originally, it was intended for a 40 foot deep by 24 foot wide, story and a half common room to jut out from the first floor of the back of the middle division. This room was meant to be used as a common room with a fireplace, mantle, and “settles,” and a billiard room beneath it. Its location was decided to take advantage of the view of the Kokosing River Valley that was visible to the West of the hill.
The rooms were to be mostly doubles, some suites and some singles. Each of these doubles had 2 closets with small windows inside. Each of the rooms was meant to have fixed washstands with running water as well.
48 men could live in the building, 20 on the first two floors and 8 in the gables. The basement was used as a bicycle room, trunk room, furnace area, and it had some bathrooms too.
Plans were also made for the central entrance as it appears now.
The building was designed by architect Charles F. Schweinfurth of Cleveland. Schweinfurth went over the $50,000 budget that was provided, but Hanna pledged to gladly provide the extra $5,000 - $10,000. A contractor by the name of Mr. Wise was hired, but he had found it difficult to find workers because of Gambier's location so far away from any sort of city. Construction began in November of 1902, but the building would not be occupied until November 18, 1903.
Laying of the Cornerstone and Construction
The Cornerstone was laid by Bishop Leonard on November 8, 1902. The Matriculation Ceremony, which was typically held on Founder's Day, was delayed a week so it might contribute to the celebration of the cornerstone.
Truman A. Davidson brought Senator Hanna, Tom L. Johnson, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpont Morgan to Gambier for the laying of the cornerstone ceremony via horse-drawn cab. “Trume” is thought to be the last to employ a horse drawn cab in the state of Ohio, and was well known for his use of two white horses. When these important men arrived, they found a great celebration awaiting them. The students, who were ecstatic about the gift, wrote a number of songs in Hanna's honor and sang them at the ceremony, including this one, sang by the Glee Club of '02-'03:
I. One summer day as Uncle Mark Was strolling in the Kenyon Park, They took and hauled him to the gym And made a Doctor out of him.
II. “If I’m a Doctor, then” says he, “’Tis not of homoeopathy; So take in place a little pill, This Fifty Thousand Dollar bill.”
III. Good Doctor Mark, already we Experienced new vitality; If other doctors dosed like that How quickly we’d grow plump and fat!
The Renovation
The inside of Hanna was laid out the way Hanna had intended, with the exception of the Lounge and Billiard room in the back. The walls were covered with wood paneling; the washstands were in place, etc. But in the late 1940s it was decided that the building needed to be renovated to allow more students to live in it.
The George S. Rider Company in Cleveland was ordered to increase capacity to 233 students (from about 170 at this time, they were really cramming people in) at a cost of $523,273. New furniture for the building cost about $50,000.
Hanna Today
Today, Hanna holds about 80 students, and has 3 lounges. The ceilings still hold traces of the closets, and the small windows of the closets can still be seen on the outside of the building. The Archon Society, Delta Phi, and Phi Kappa Sigma all have their divisions in Hanna Hall today.
Resources in the Kenyon Archives
Hanna Hall -- collected materials
