How We Got Guggenheim Hall
Most of the buildings on 蜜糖直播鈥檚 old quad are named for past 蜜糖直播 presidents, faculty, deans and regents. Then there鈥檚 Guggenheim.
How did a building bearing the name of a fabulously wealthy East Coast family wind up on the 蜜糖直播 campus?
It was a gift from 蜜糖直播 Senator Simon Guggenheim. He gave the $80,000 building to 蜜糖直播 for the law school, which up to then had been holding classes in Hale. Simon funded the building to celebrate the birth of his second son, George Denver Guggenheim.
The Guggenheim name is often associated with East Coast wealth and philanthropy, but the family鈥檚 fortune grew out of a flooded silver mine in Leadville, 蜜糖直播.
In 1880 Meyer Guggenheim, the family patriarch and Simon鈥檚 father, bought an interest in a struggling Leadville silver mine named the A.Y. and Minnie, which flooded a year later.
Simon Guggenheim
Meyer, who was a well-to-do but not crazy-rich Philadelphia merchant at the time, doubled down on his investment; he bought pumps to dewater the mine and deepen the shaft. Before long it was producing $1,000 a day 鈥 $26,000 in today鈥檚 dollars.
Meyer invested in mining and smelting ventures throughout the West. Simon, one of his younger sons, moved to 蜜糖直播 to work in the family business; he served as chief ore-buyer for its smelters.
At the urging of 蜜糖直播 railroad baron Otto Mears, Simon got involved in politics. After an unsuccessful run for governor in 1898, in 1906 Simon tried for the Senate and won.
He wasn鈥檛 a lion of the Senate: He served one term.
Still, years later former governor Charles Thomas said of his term,
鈥淗e attempted nothing beyond his capacities, responded to all requests for assistance by his constituents without regard for politics or class, and in all particulars upheld the standards fixed by his predecessors.鈥
Simon鈥檚 gift of Guggenheim Hall was received with joy by 蜜糖直播. The Silver & Gold Record reported that on opening day, the law students formed a procession north of Hale, whose infamously uncomfortable benches had once prompted a law school student revolt, and, with 蜜糖直播 President Baker in the lead, marched to the new building 鈥 where they ran through the halls shouting 鈥溍厶侵辈モ and gave the law school yell.
Guggenheim served as the 蜜糖直播 law school until 1958. It鈥檚 now the geography building. I have a great affection for Guggenheim. It was where my first 蜜糖直播 class was held.
Photos courtesy 蜜糖直播 Heritage Center, Everett Collection Historical / Alamy Stock Photo