Peirce Hall
Along with Old Kenyon and its slender spire, Peirce Hall may be the College's most recognizable landmark, with its stone tower commanding attention from across the south campus. Built in 1929 and recently renovated, Peirce has always been a bustling, convivial place.
It is noteworthy, as well, for the striking character of some of its interior spaces (watch a student-made video).
Chief among these is the magnificent Great Hall, where students eat their meals surrounded by stained-glass windows illustrating great works of American and British literature. (In recent years, visitors have found a resemblance to the central hall of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies.)
Students enter the servery through a dramatic, glass-ceilinged atrium. The food stations offer a wide range of choices, from fresh stir-fries to pizzas baked in a stone-lined oven, from deli sandwiches and traditional grill items to salads filled with local produce. There are three large dining rooms: the fabled Great Hall; a sleek, light-filled modern counterpart, called Richard L. and Helen Thomas Hall; and a downstairs room, Alumni Hall. The lower level also features four private dining rooms, which groups may reserve.
The Chase Tower of Peirce features stained-glass windows, depicting scenes from the pioneering life of Kenyon's founder, Philander Chase. The tower staircase leads to a number of offices for student organizations and to the elegant Bemis Music Room, which is used for classes, lectures, and recitals.
At least two or three times a week, students and others in the campus community come to Peirce Lounge for lectures, informal talks, panel discussions, and readings, many of them scheduled during the Tuesday and Thursday Common Hour periods. With its comfortable sofas and armchairs, the lounge is a perfect place to exchange ideas with a visiting poet, scholar, artist, or leader in public affairs.
Peirce Hall Fast Facts
Built: 1929
Named for: William Foster Peirce, Kenyon's twelfth president and the longest-serving president in the College's history (1896-1937)
Original use: Dining hall and student union
Current use: Dining halls, Common Hour presentations and other public events, recitals and music-related lectures, student organization offices, and computer lab.
Historical notes: The Great Hall has always figured in Kenyon's grander social spectacles. During the swing era, the Glenn Miller Orchestra played here. In the sixties, Bob Dylan performed. Nowadays, the Great Hall hosts the dance for Philander's Phebruary Phling, a weekend of social events, both formal and informal, designed to banish the winter blues.
Insider information: Missed breakfast or lunch? Not to worry. Peirce has "extendo" hours, one of the most popular traditions on campus.
During Women's History Month the portraits in the Great Hall are covered with portraits of famous Kenyon women.