In 1853, merchant and state senator Wayman Crow and his pastor, William Greenleaf Eliot Jr., founded Eliot Seminary, which we now know as Washington University in St. Louis.
During the 1840s and 50s, waves of immigrants came to St. Louis, boosting the population of the young city. With the newcomers came a need for industrial training and basic education conducted outside of normal working hours. The first iteration of Washington University was an evening program, established on October 22, 1854.
For its first 50 years, Washington University was located in downtown St. Louis. In 1893, a committee found a new location for the growing university west of the city. In 1900, construction began on the first buildings: Busch Hall, University Hall (now known as Brookings Hall), Cupples I, and Cupples II. When completed, the buildings were leased to the organizers of the 1904 World’s Fair.
Washington University students in downtown St. Louis in 1891 
The future home of Washington University 
The future home of Washington University 
The new campus under construction 
Cornerstone laying of University Hall (now Brookings Hall) 
Cornerstone laying of University Hall (now Brookings Hall) 
The archway of University Hall (now Brookings Hall) under construction 
Hilltop Campus under construction 
Ridgley Library (now Ridgley Hall) in the early 1900s 
Commencement processional in 1907 
The first-year class in 1916–17 
Graham Chapel, circa 1920 
Cornerstone laying of Bixby Hall in 1925 
Aerial view of the Hilltop Campus in 1927
The Board of Trustees approved adding “in St. Louis” to the university’s name in 1976 to distinguish WashU from other Washingtons. And on September 17, 2006, the Hilltop Campus was renamed the Danforth Campus in honor of William H. Danforth, our 13th chancellor.
Join us in celebrating our 170th anniversary!