Kent Smith Quad, exterior, overhead view
1 2021-02-25T18:29:36+00:00 Julia Teran 9aca9c408841ff28b321d7128a1e5c918a151e1d 9 1 Kent Smith Quad, exterior, overhead view, 1973 2021-02-25T18:29:36+00:00 01010 1973 Kent Smith Quadrangle public domain Hrabak, Ferenc CWRU Archives [Places] Julia Teran 9aca9c408841ff28b321d7128a1e5c918a151e1dThis page is referenced by:
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2026-05-07T16:42:33+00:00
Kent H. Smith and the Case Quad
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This page provides information about Kent H. Smith and the Case Quad.
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2026-05-19T18:27:16+00:00
The Case Quad, the Main Quad -- these are titles given to the area bounded by Crawford Hall, Rockefeller Building, Albert W. Smith Building, Bingham Building, White Building, Olin Laboratory, Nord Hall, Sears Building, Wickenden Building, Tomlinson Hall, and the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB). The formal name of this space is the Kent H. Smith Quadrangle.
Kent Hale Smith was born 4/9/1894 in Cleveland to Mary and Albert Smith. He graduated from East High School before attending and graduating from Dartmouth College in 1915. He continued his education at Case School of Applied Science, graduating in chemistry in 1917. His father, Albert W. Smith, was a faculty member at Case as well as an alumnus, class of 1887. The Albert W. Smith Chemical Engineering Building was named for him. Kent’s brother, Albert Kelvin, was also a Case graduate, class of 1922. Kelvin Smith Library was named in his honor.
Kent Smith was elected to the Case Board of Trustees in 1949, serving until he was named honorary trustee in 1966. He served Case as Acting President from 1958-1961 when President T. Keith Glennan was on leave as first administrator of NASA. He served on numerous committees, such as the Case Alumni Council, Diamond Jubilee Campaign, and Case Building Fund. Mr. Smith received the Case Alumni Meritorious Service Award in 1952, an honorary engineering degree from Case in 1954, and an honorary doctor of law degree from Western Reserve University in 1960. A special dinner was held in his honor in 1961 at which his formal portrait was unveiled.
Mr. Smith was one of the founders of the Lubrizol Corporation and president from 1932-1951. He was a member of the American Chemical Society and served on the boards of Euclid Glenville Hospital, Cleveland Council on World Affairs, Cleveland Trust Company, and the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce.
The quad underwent a complete redesign in the early 1970s. William A. Behnke Associates was retained as landscape architect. There was no parking allowed on the quad. Old Case Main was razed, the Michelson-Morley fountain was installed, and the Tony Smith sculpture, "Spitball," was installed. The entire area was re-landscaped. In 1974, the Quadrangle won the Landscape Design Award of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Cleveland Growth Association for an educational institution.
The Kent Hale Smith Engineering and Science Building was dedicated on 9/16/1994 in his honor. This building is commonly referred to as the Macro building or Macromolecular Science building.
The Case Quad experienced another major renovation from 2022-2023, in which old pavement was replaced with modern walkways, and improved lighting and new seating were installed to create a more "pedestrian-friendly" environment. In August 2023, CWRU announced that the Case Quad would be reserved for pedestrian traffic only going forward, prohibiting recreational devices such as bicycles, skateboards, and scooters. The opening of the ISEB in the fall of 2026 as the newest and largest building on the Case Quad, will be the latest renovation project for this part of campus.
Sources
For more information about Kent H. Smith and the Case Quad, see the list of published histories on our CWRU Archives Sources page. In addition to the published histories, information comes from records in the Case Western Reserve University Archives. -
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Case Dorms
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2021-06-14T19:47:35+00:00
Yost Hall Exterior East Side
Each room provides approximately 165 square feet of floor area for two students. Optimum utilization of space is provided by the arrangement of built-in furnishings. The two beds, double wardrobe, double desk, bookcase and night stand, are all of special design and made to Case specifications...Recesses in the corridor walls are provided to house telephone booths, drinking fountains, and coin-operated candy and beverage machines.
-Dormitory is Named Pardee Hall, 1957
Pardee Hall Exterior North and West Sides
T. Keith Glennan on a Bulldozer at Yost Hall Ground-breaking
Dear Professor and Mrs. Austin: I want to take this opportunity to thank you very much for your assistance in housing some of our students while the new dormitory was being completed. Without the assistance of the faculty, we would have been unable to provide housing for some thirty students.
-R.W. Waite to Professor and Mrs. John B. Austin, Jr., 1956
Kent Smith Quad Exterior Overhead View
Students Stand in a Hallway in Yost Hall
Case's Laboratory-Tested Dormitory. Virtually every feature of the new Case dormitory has been planned and laboratory pre-tested to give residents the living and study conditions they want and need...A model room with movable walls was built in Tomlinson Hall...and students picked to live in it. These student "guinea pigs" found some amazing things. The room was too long by six inches. Desks were too small: new ones were designed to hold drawing boards...A wardrobe with drawers the right size to hold laundered shirts, big storage drawers under the beds, extra electrical outlets, a spot for keeping hand luggage, painted brick and concrete block instead of easily chipped plaster walls, and hanging book shelves, all resulted from the tests.
-A Modern Campus Living Center, 1951
Students Relax in Yost Hall Lounge