On Friday, October 24, Associate Dean of Student Life Kinyette Henderson announced during All-School Meeting that Memorial Hall would be renamed Hurst Hall. The following day, a naming ceremony was hosted outside the dorm.
The recently renovated hall is named in honor of the Hurst family: Bob and Soledad Hurst P’97,’23,’24, as well as their three children, Trustee Alex Hurst ’97, Jaidyn Hurst ’23, and Jared Hurst ’24.
Memorial Hall, built in 1923 by architect Cass Gilbert, was commissioned by poet Archibald MacLeish, class of 1911, and named in honor of the alumni who lost their lives in World War I (including his own brother Kenneth MacLeish, who died in Belgium). The dedication was eventually extended to include all alumni who died in foreign wars.
The hall underwent significant renovation in 1963. While the refurbishment updated the hall to adapt to changing residential needs, its small apartments made it challenging to house faculty families. Mr. Keith Moon, instructor in history and English, who arrived at the school in 1989, was head of Memorial Hall for three years. He said, “My apartment was a combination of six dorm rooms, so we, as a family, were incredibly cramped.”
The building was next renovated in 2022. This renovation updated electrical wiring, expanded faculty apartments, added an outdoor terrace on the building’s quad side, and completely replaced the old Common Room. The Common Room renovations were made possible by a gift from Mr. Larry Flinn ’53, GP’22. The Hurst Family’s contributions made the larger renovations possible.
The quad surrounded by Hurst, Wieler, and two Cass Gilbert faculty houses has been renamed the Memorial Quadrangle. A plaque was recently installed on one of the campus pathways to indicate the change. Inscribed on the stone is a commemorative statement: “This quadrangle is dedicated to the Hotchkiss graduates who made the supreme sacrifice in foreign wars.” A new plaque indicating the name change for the building itself now hangs in the dorm’s foyer.
The plaque reads, “This building is named in honor of the Hurst Family, whose extraordinary generosity made its renewal possible. Originally built in 1923 as Memorial Hall, named in memory of Hotchkiss graduates who lost their lives in WWI, Hurst Hall will continue to serve as a place of learning, friendship, and community for generations of students to come. The Common Room and Memorial Quad honor Hotchkiss graduates who made the supreme sacrifice in foreign wars. Hotchkiss will forever remember the Hurst Family’s enduring love for the School.”
