Referred to as the door to campus, the Sample Gates sit between Franklin Hall and Bryan Hall. Looking onto Kirkwood Avenue to the west and campus to the east, these iconic gates were constructed and dedicated in 1987.
Here are five things to know about the Sample Gates:
1. The gates were funded by former Director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aids, Edson Sample. Sample wanted to fund and dedicate the gates to his parents, who were both present at the June 1987 dedication ceremony.
2. The classes of 1899-1902 began the University Arch Fund to erect a gate at the edge of the campus. Eventually, the classes agreed to use the funds to purchase chimes in the Student Building.
3. In 1931, Newell Sanders proposed the gateway again by submitting multiple designs for the potential gates. The Board of Trustees denied her proposal.
4. The place where the current Sample Gates sit used to be a continuation of Kirkwood Avenue. The through street was closed for the erection of the gates in the 1980s.
5. The gates are constructed of Indiana limestone, surrounded by a brick path that flows into campus with landscaping that changes each season.
Matt Rasnic
