The Northwestern University Coat of Arms

A Coat of Arms was a practice that dates back to medieval Europe. Their purpose at the time originated out of a necessity to distinguish enemies in battle. They consisted of unique symbols and colors and were typically branded on the chest plates, helmets, shields, and weaponry of infantry units. The term “coat of arms” originates from the word surcoat which was a clothed tunic that soldiers would wear over their metal breastplates to protect it from the sun’s rays. Beyond this, a coat of arms quickly became a statement of wealth, prestige, and elitist personality. They were used to represent families, being passed down over generations of the elite class as a distinguishing factor between powerful families in Europe. Eventually, educational institutions began adopting them as a way to uniquely represent the institution's values and traditions. Some of the most notable coats of arms exist in England representing the University of Oxford and Cambridge. This tradition was of course adopted by the ivy league institutions in the United States as they too were amongst the top educational institutions the world had to offer. When Northwestern University was introduced into the competition for representing educational superiority in the Midwest, it had to live up to the tradition of intellectualism: branding itself with a coat of arms and a corporate seal.

Kresge Centennial Hall

The Kresge Centennial Hall was originally built in 1955 to commemorate Northwestern’s 100th anniversary. It, like many other buildings of Northwestern, was named after the donors: the Kresge Foundation. This foundation gave $500,000 of the $2.4 million needed to make the building. The building along with other changes to campus was a result of the Northwestern Centennial Campaign in 1951, which aimed to incorporate the large surge of students enrolling at Northwestern in the late 1940s following the Second World War. The design was made by Holabird, Root & Burgee, who incorporated Lannon stone with Indiana Limestone details on the facade of the building. The building was cutting edge at the time and was able to house classrooms for over 1000 students and faculty members. In 2001 an extension was added to the building’s south wing. This 4-floor extension, designed by DeStefano and Partners, was called Crowe Hall. This extension not only served as an aesthetic addition but also served to house the humanities department which had previously been scattered across campus. In 2014 a modern interior renovation took place. Despite its modern interior and addition, an old piece of history still stands on the left side of the building: the seal of Northwestern University. This part of Kresge originally from the 1955 building still stands today and has two seals engraved on its exterior facade.

Kresge Hall: exterior entrance, 1950s, “Northwestern Architecture”, Northwestern University Archives, Evanston IL                     

Rebecca Crown Center

The Rebecca Crown Center was built in 1968 as a new administrative building for Northwestern. Much of the funding of the building came from the Crown family: Henry Crown, a Northwestern University associate and Trustee, and their three sons John, Robert, and Lester. They named it to honor the mother of the family Rebecca Crown. The new building erected firstly out of necessity as most of Northwestern’s administrative offices were spread out amongst the university’s campus and this new location would centralize their offices. Hired for the job was Walter Netsch who is known for his brutalist architectural style. Interestingly enough, despite there being such a strong concrete, symmetrical, and geometric theme present in the entirety of the Crown Center, there is etched into the base of the clock tower, the seal of Northwestern. This choice is an intriguing one, as one may not think its traditional and classical look would fit into the theme of the overall building. Perhaps it was a requirement from the donors, who were the three sons of Rebecca Crown and Henry Crown and all graduates of the university.  On another hand, the iconic clock tower currently stands as a symbol for the student body and the university, which in and of itself calls for the implementation of the seal.

Rebecca Crown: Wide View with Clock Tower, “Northwestern Architecture”, Northwestern University Archives, Evanston IL

Marjorie Wienberg Memorial Garden

Located near the Southside of campus sits a secluded garden, away from the surrounding bustling campus. This garden was a product of a sincere donation from the children of Marjorie Weinberg. The Weinberg family had served on the Board of Trustees and the children wanted to honor their mother’s legacy. The garden itself is one of the oldest parts of the campus. It once served as a beloved soapbox for students in the past. The site was more open and was naturally elevated for student speakers to make announcements or speeches. Most iconically, in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower received an honorary doctorate of law and spoke to students packed in Deering meadow as he stood upon the site where the garden is today. In fact, the original limestone steps that led to the elevated platform still remain and were incorporated in the new garden’s design. Today, as the Marjorie Weinberg Memorial Garden, it features new limestone paths and benches and a large stone engraved seal embedded in the center of the garden. It is one of the most recent and significant installments of the seal on campus. It is a much-appreciated spot on campus for solitude and peace and truly values the traditional identity that the seal represents.

Christopher Gonzalez

Montgomery Ward Memorial Building

This building was one of the first in the new movement in 1917 to centralize the Northwestern professional schools in one consolidated location on Chicago Avenue. The building that would house the Northwestern Medical and Dental schools lacked funding until the largest gift ever donated to the school at the time was given to Northwestern by the wife of Aaron Montgomery Ward. She believed in the mission of service that was true of Northwestern at the time. She eventually donated 8 million dollars and the building was constructed in 1926.  The Ward Building served a great purpose, which was to anchor the centralized Chicago campus and house the medical and dental schools of Northwestern. Its neighbors directly adjacent to Ward, Wieboldt Hall of Commerce and Levy Meyer Hall, served this same purpose, but the Ward Building is typically the one that receives the most praise for being the largest and prominent structure in the Chicago campus. The seal is easily seen as it is engraved over the main entrance to the building. 

Wieboldt Hall of the Kellogg School of Management

Wieboldt Hall got its start like many Northwestern buildings, from generous donations by powerful Chicago families. Northwestern received $500,000 from the Wieboldt family foundation to build Wieboldt Hall, which would house Northwestern’s School of Commerce on the Chicago campus directly adjacent to the Montgomery Ward Memorial Building. The Northwestern School of Commerce was first stationed at the off-campus University Building. After the movement to consolidate buildings to the Chicago campus, the school was moved into the new Wieboldt Hall, designed by James Rogers. The building is made of limestone and slate roofs with a total of 8 floors, all meant to serve a variety of functions for the School of Commerce. After years of growth in the program, it saw several extensions to its size and an eventual name change to the Kellogg School of Management. Despite the changes and extensions, the original engraved seal above its main entrance is still there today. 

Levy Mayer Hall 

Levy Mayer Hall is directly next to the Montgomery Ward Building on Chicago Avenue. It served as one of the first buildings on the new, consolidated Chicago Campus and was built to house the  Northwestern University’s School of Law. Like many other buildings on Northwestern’s Evanston and Chicago Campuses, James Rogers was the lead architect, resulting in a modernized gothic style. Unique features of Levy Mayer Hall include ivy-covered walls, stained glass windows, and a large engraved seal of Northwestern over one of its main entrances.