Mather Hall

View of Mather Hall from the Gates Quad. Photo credit: Public Art CT

Mather Hall is a multipurpose building that houses several campus amenities and activities, including a variety of dining options for students. It is located at the top of the Gates Quad between Hamlin Hall and Elton Hall. The building is a two-story Tudor style brick building, designed to match the styles of other nearby buildings.

Planning for Mather began in the late 1950s after a strong desire by the College to have a student center. Funding for the construction was a part of the “Program of Progress,” Trinity's 150th anniversary campaign started under President Albert Jacobs. The campaign's goal was to raise money for the College in order to build new campus facilities. The main donors for Mather's construction were alumni, trustees, parents, and various Hartford organizations. Around $5 million was raised, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held in November 1958. The ceremony happened to fall on Parents' weekend, which was particularly fitting given that the amount parents ended up donating for the project totaled over $274,000, or about 9% more than their goal of $250,000. Construction was completed in 1960.

Mather Hall in the early 1960s. Photo credit: Trinity College Alumni Magazine

The original center housed the dining hall, post office, book store, snack bar, student lockers, and game rooms, as well as offices for student organizations like the Senate, the Trinity Tripod, and the Ivy. The upper level consisted of large assembly rooms. It was described as the “focal point of student activity” on Trinity's campus. By the mid-1960s, the originally promised bowling alleys had opened. For many years, Mather Hall was referred to as “the Student Center.”

In 1960, the completed building was formally dedicated to William Gwinn Mather, Class of 1877 at a dedication ceremony held on October 22. During the dedication, President Jacobs spoke highly of William Mather, who had been a generous benefactor of the College and had served as a Trustee for 42 years. Jacobs stated that William Gwinn Mather Hall would not have been possible without Mather's donations throughout the decades; naming the center after him served as a tribute nine years after Mather's death.