Brookings Hall is a Collegiate Gothic 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.[1] The first cornerstone was laid on November 3, 1900.[2]
In 1899, after holding a national design competition, Washington University's administrators selected the Philadelphia firm Cope and Stewardson (represented by James P. Jamieson) to design the building as the centerpiece of an extensive new campus master plan. The general contractor was Bright Construction Company.
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.[2]
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").[2]
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.[5]