Thorne Hall
When Northwestern University first planned the Chicago campus in the 1920s, the land currently occupied by Rubloff Hall was designated as the site of “future construction.” This designation came to fruition in 1932, when Thorne Hall was built. Named for George R. Thorne, a former president of retailer Montgomery Ward & Co., the spacious auditorium owed its design to James Gamble Rogers, the architect behind the other professional school buildings. Various organizations made their home in Thorne Hall over the years, including the Legal Clinic, the Black Law Students Association, and the Student Funded Public Interest Fellowships. Although no longer a standalone structure, the legacy of this building lives on in Thorne Auditorium, the 6,257-square-foot space located on the first floor of the Rubloff Building.
Postcard, above: “Thorne Hall” by Phil Austin, 1926.
Courtesy Northwestern University Archives, Evanston, IL, online.