How many times have you uttered the name of a Cornell building鈥攚hether you lived, ate, took classes, or studied there鈥攚ithout knowing anything about the person it honors? Here鈥檚 a look at some of those memorable lives. (And be sure to check out !)
John McGraw
McGraw was a self-made millionaire lumber mogul with a deep reverence for classical education, though he himself never received one. Instead, he committed to realizing this dream for his daughter, Jennie, by sending her on a grand tour of Europe starting in 1859.
One of the University鈥檚 founding trustees, McGraw gave $120,000 for the construction of the hall that bears his name, which opened in 1872 as one of the three original 鈥渟tone row鈥 buildings on the west side of the Arts Quad.
The four-story edifice was the first home of the University Library; McGraw and his daughter shared an affinity for rich, diverse university libraries鈥攆urther informed by her European travels鈥攁nd were convinced that an institution could not produce fine scholars without one.
From 1873鈥91, the building鈥檚 small tower was home to the , until they moved to the iconic structure (later named McGraw Tower) connected to Uris Library.
In January 2023, Arts and 麻豆视频 announced a planned of McGraw Hall鈥攊ncluding preservation work on the fa莽ade and major interior, structural, and systems updates throughout the building.
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