Description: McMicken Hall Built in 1895, McMicken Hall was the first structure erected on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Up until 1910, there were only five buildings on campus, but as the university continued to grow, more buildings were needed. Three of those, McMicken Hall, Hanna Hall (1896) and Cunningham Hall housed the McMicken College of Liberal Arts. Designed by Hannaford & Sons of brick and stone and having three ivy-covered stories each, these modified Renaissance structures were joined with one another to form a single unit. The twin Hoffner lions that guard the entrance are copies of those at the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy, and were originally on Jacob Hoffner’s estate. When he died in 1894, he donated them to the City of Cincinnati, who in turn donated them to them to the university in 1904. The original McMicken Hall (along with Cunningham and Hanna Hall) was demolished in 1948 to make way for a new building. The new McMicken Hall was designed by Hake & Hake and cost $2 million to build. The stone lions Mick and Mack were preserved and returned to their posts at the entrance, and have been adopted by the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association at their mascot. University of Cincinnati In 1819, Cincinnati College and the Medical College of Ohio were founded in Cincinnati. Local benefactors such as Dr. Daniel Drake and William Lytle of the Lytle family suggested and funded these institutions. In 1870, the estate of Charles McMicken willed funds to the City of Cincinnati to establish the University of Cincinnati, absorbing Cincinnati College. While the Medical College of Ohio was loosely affiliated with UC from about 1896, it joined with a splinter medical school, Miami Medical College, to form the Ohio-Miami Medical Department of the University of Cincinnati in 1909. UC would again add another independent organization to its roster of colleges when it absorbed the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 1962. UC became a "municipally-sponsored, state-affiliated" institution in 1968. During this time, UC was the second-oldest and second-largest municipal university in the country. It became one of Ohio's state universities in 1977. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F03_013
Subjects: University of Cincinnati; Education; Universities and colleges; Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; University of Cincinnati--Buildings--Pictorial works; College campuses--Ohio; University of Cincinnati. McMicken College of Arts and Sciences
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)