Elmira College - Buildings of The College

Buildings of The College

• Cowles Hall - The original building of the campus, built in 1855 and designed by a man named Farrar to have an octagonal center, seventy feet in diameter, and four arms in the shape of a Greek cross. Only three of these wings were built; the eastern and western arms were completed in 1855, while the northern arm was built in 1880. Its cornerstone, containing a copy of the college's charter and various other documents, was laid on July 6, 1854 during a ceremony. The location of this part of the building is unknown. In 1882, construction on the north arm of Cowles Hall was completed. As the first building of the college, Cowles Hall served as a dormitory, dining hall, classroom, but today is unused and supposedly haunted. On May 10, 1917, the building was dedicated to Dr. Augustus Cowles, the college's first president, and was given the name which remains today. Cowles Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Cowle Bin - a gathering place for Elmira students, where they could get refreshments and socialize.

• Gillett Memorial Hall - Built in 1892, a gift of Solomon Gillett. It originally served as the college’s music building, containing twenty-two teaching and practice rooms and new pianos. It was proposed at a meeting in June 1891 and construction was completed the following year. In the past, the third floor held the Darius Ford Museum but currently, the building contains offices for faculty members of the college. Gillett Memorial Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• Hamilton Hall - Originally the site of the library completed in June 1927, made possible by the funds raised by Dr. Lent. It housed several thousand volumes previously owned by Jacob Fassett, and was the college’s main library until 1969 when the Gannett-Tripp Library was built. Hamilton Hall is "cited as one of the finest examples of English Collegiate Gothic architecture in America" (Bulletin 7). Hamilton Hall is the site of Admissions and Financial Aid and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.