Killian Court lies in the center of
MIT's
Main Campus.
It was built along with the rest of the original
buildings
between
1911 and
1916. Originally named the
Great Court, it was to contain a giant
reflecting pool, surrounded by
trees, to match the
Neo-classical architecture of the surrounding buildings. For
reasons now mostly lost to
time (but probably involving
either
drainage problems or
esthetics), the
reflecting
pool was never built. Today, the only trace of it is
a grassy
depression in the ground running most of the length
and width of
Killian.
The court today is a wide, grassy expanse running from
Building 10 and the Great Dome to Memorial Drive
next to the Charles River. It was designed as the
center of Main Campus and the original buildings,
and despite MIT's expansion over the last century,
it still serves that purpose. An MIT student's time at the Institute begins and ends in the Court: with Killian Kickoff opening Rush for the freshmen, and
Commencement sending off the graduates. The classic MIT photograph
is of the Dome and the pillared entrance
onto Killian from Lobby 10. One MIT president even had his ashes scattered over it, to ensure that he remained part of the Institute.
Of course, such a significant and central place is
going to be used frequently by students. Killian is
a popular target for hacks,
especially during Orientation and Commencement, and
a year doesn't go by without some truly spectacular snow
sculpture appearing. In warmer weather, you can find
students tooling, punting, playing frisbee, and otherwise enjoying the unusual green space.