The square houses the chancellor and it provides an overhead view of the Washington University Campus The square has a clock at the western and eastern ends with Latin inscriptions above them The inscription on the western part of the square reads Cedunt Horae Opera Manent meaning the hours go by the works remain And the Eastern part of the square reads Discere Si Cupias Intra Salvere Iubemus meaning if you wish to learn enter we welcome you 1904 was a historic year for St Louis Perhaps the the biggest achievement was when the city held the summer olympics but another notable event was the World's Fair When the World's Fair was going to be held in St Louis an administrative office needed to be chosen So they decided to pick Brookings Hall as a their command center Then in 1905 Brookings Hall was chosen by Washington University as the administrative office and was referred to as the University Hall It wasn t until 1928 following the retirement of Washington University's president and long time donor Robert Brookings that they decided give University Hall its current name of Brookings Hall Brookings was an American businessman who had a rags to riches story in which he had humble beginnings but then became a millionaire through his firm that dealt with the sale and distribution of household goods
He took an interest into education and research evident in his 200k donation to Washington University which translates to a staggering 5 5 million dollars in today's money He also founded the Brookings Institution in 1916 which researches social sciences such as economics politics etc With all of this in mind it is easy to see why he was picked to be the Washington University President in 1895 with his optimism and passion for knowledge accompanied by his big pockets Today Brooking s Hall accommodates for the Admissions Office the Chancellor's office and room financial services and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences In most recent history the building was used as the control center for alumni Steve Fossett s circumnavigation of the globe with a balloon in 2002 Fosset attempted this six times and his sixth attempt which was successful was controlled at Brooking s Hall The Hall is also the entrance to the Washington University campus and as you walk up the brick stairs leading up the the building it appears as a massive site But the awesome thing about it is that it doesn't just represent Washington University or prestige it also represents heritage The building is over 100 years old which is totally amazing To think that if you walk inside of it you re walking where students did over 100 years ago Although it has been refurbished it is still the same And it also serves as a reminder that it is our current contributions to education and society as a whole that impact the future generations Because Washington University is now one of the best schools in the country and it started out with the help of donators like Robert Brookings
