Samuel Mather Hall

Opened in 1926 and designed by Abram Garfield (the son of U.S. President James Garfield), Samuel Mather Hall originally housed the biology, chemistry, and physics departments. The construction of new buildings for biology and chemistry during the 1960s, and a renovation of Samuel Mather in 1968-69, left the building as the home of the physics and psychology departments. In 2001-02, Samuel Mather was completely renovated again, and currently houses the psychology department and the neuroscience program. The building features lecture halls, classrooms, seminar rooms, laboratories for faculty-student research, a library, study lounge, testing rooms, and faculty offices. State-of-the-art facilities allow students to engage in both independent study and collaborative work with professors in a range of fields from cognition in the elderly to behavioral pharmacology.

Samuel Mather Hall Fast Facts
Offices and Departments in Samuel Mather

Samuel Mather Hall Fast Facts

Named for: Samuel Mather, a Cleveland industrialist and a Kenyon trustee and benefactor

Current use: Neuroscience and psychology

Facilities: Two lecture halls, two classrooms, two seminar/conference rooms, three teaching labs, five faculty-student research labs, two computer labs (one for teaching, one for student work), library, study lounge, testing rooms, faculty offices, psychology department offices

Historical notes: In 1962, Kenyon built an addition to Samuel Mather: Philip Mather Science Hall, named for one of Samuel Mather's sons who also served as a Kenyon trustee. The new building, which housed the chemistry department, was considerably less elegant than its older companion and was ill-suited to the demands of current programs. It was demolished as part of the science-quadrangle project. The name of Philip Mather now graces the courtyard of the quadrangle.

Samuel Mather trivia: The lawn on the east side of Samuel Mather Hall, facing Middle Path, is the site of two major Kenyon ceremonies, Opening Convocation and Commencement.

On Friday afternoons, faculty and students join in an informal guitar jam.

Offices and Departments in Samuel Mather