GRAVES HALL 150 Years of Excellence
Stately
Graves Hall is Sacred Space On Morehouse Century Campus It’s fitting that in front of Morehouse’s most iconic building, Graves Hall, stands a statue of the College’s most revered president: Benjamin Elijah Mays. It’s one of the reasons that Morehouse graduates circle the place where the College’s two most respected symbols—one brick and mortar, and one a strong black man—occupy space on the Century Campus. They are visual representations of what makes Morehouse College a special institution. And when freshmen move into Graves Hall, they quickly learn why they are living in such a sacred space.
1.
Here are
10 THINGS you should know about the history of Graves Hall:
B uilt in 1889, Graves Hall was the first building on the current campus and once housed dorm rooms, administrative offices, a dining hall, chapel, classrooms, the President’s residence, and more.
2.
The four-story, red-brick building is named after the College’s second President, Samuel T. Graves.
3.
The cupola on top of Graves Hall became part of the College’s logo because of the building’s iconic status.
4.
raves Hall sits atop the highest G point in Atlanta.
5.
Graves Hall was built on the site of a former Civil War battleground that now overlooks downtown Atlanta.
6.
It was the tallest building in Atlanta when built.
7.
Stories persist that slaves who were pushed to fight for the Confederacy in the Civil War are buried beneath Graves Hall.
8.
The bell in the Graves Hall tower was used to warn students and faculty that hate groups were riding toward the College to cause a disruption. When the bell rang, students would hide in the basement.
9.
G raves Hall was the dorm of hundreds of Morehouse Men, including Harold Martin Jr. ’02, interim president of Morehouse.
10. The bell at Graves Hall is now out of use.
special anniversary issue • morehouse magazine
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