16. Alexander Hall
Alexander Hall was a gift from Harriet Crocker Alexander in 1892 in honor
of three generations of her husband’s family, all Princeton alumni
and trustees. Architect William Appleton Potter, who was also responsible
for Chancellor Green, Witherspoon Hall, the Green School of Science, the
University Hotel, and Pyne Library, designed this convocation hall in
a then-popular Romanesque style. Alexander Hall was used for commencement
exercises for 30 years until class sizes grew too large and the proceedings
moved to the front lawn of Nassau Hall. Over the years, Alexander
Hall has had multiple uses, housing much of the sesquicentennial celebration,
prayer services displaced by the destruction of Marquand Chapel, student
mass meetings and rallies, musical and theatrical performances by both
University and non-affiliated groups, and lectures by US presidents and
Nobel laureates. In 1985, the interior space was extensively renovated
and renamed Richardson Auditorium for donor David Richardson ’66
and his father, David Richardson ’33. The U.S. Postal Service chose
an image of Alexander Hall for its postcard to commemorate Princeton’s
250th anniversary.
- To learn more about William Appleton
Potter’s buildings, see Café Vivian picture #11,
78, and 127.
- To learn more about Princeton’s
chapels, see quotation #19 and Café Vivian
picture #8, 40, and 58.
- To learn more about campus grounds
and buildings, see icon #1, 5,
and 8, quotation #5, 7,
9, 28, and 39,
and Café Vivian picture #4, 6,
7, 8, 11,
20, 25, 30,
33, 37, 40,
46, 48, 54,
58, 61, 62,
67, 68, 71,
78, 85, 87,
95, 100, 101,
102, 104, 105,
108, 109, 111,
118, 124, 127,
and 133.
- To learn more about the history
of Princeton commencement, see quotation #2,
and Café Vivian picture #21 and 86.
- To learn more about major University
anniversaries, see quotation #6, 23,
and 33 and Café Vivian picture #18,
27, 34, 63,
65, 82, 98,
and 112.
- To learn more about student life
at Princeton, see icon #1, quotation #7,
9, 18, and 22,
and Café Vivian picture #9, 12,
18, 23, 24,
45, 53, 79,
82, 84, 89,
92, 96, 97,
106, 109, 113,
115, 116, 117,
129, and 132.
- To learn more about Princeton trustees, see icon #5, quotation #7, 10, and 14, and Café Vivian picture #18, 19, 27, 33, 92, 101, 108, 111, and 123.