Hannah Alumni house opens after three year renovation process
Scarlet & Black 2025-11-07
The Hannah Alumni House opened its doors for the first time to the Grinnell community after a three-year-long renovation process. The house is the first Grinnell College alumni house and aims to create a new shared space for Grinnell alumni and students alike since its purchase by the College in 2022.
Following the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon on Thursday, Nov. 6, the interior was flooded by community members, students, faculty and alumni. The updated interior contains new common rooms for people to gather and talk, with the walls lined with photographs from across the history of the College and awards commemorating past alumni. The house also hosts five new reservable bedrooms, with the hope that they serve as a space to house alumni when they return to Grinnell.
“We all know, coming to Grinnell, Iowa is an act of love and courage and effort. And so to have this destination is so important to me,” said College President Anne Harris when asked about the new experiences the house will now nourish.
Harris emphasized the importance of honoring the Grinnellians of the past and their longstanding commitment to the College and said, “But this idea of honoring what’s come before us, to be inspired by it — and here’s the key — to know that students are being championed by our alumni when they give to scholarship funds, when they give to a building, when they give to a program — philanthropy is love, right?”
The house acts as a similar gift to the alumni.
“The way that the alumni really honor the students and honor the mission and the ambitions and the efforts of the College with their philanthropy, but also the way that … we all here can honor our alumni,” Harris said.
We all know, coming to Grinnell, Iowa is an act of love and courage and effort. And so to have this destination is so important to me.
— Anne Harris, Grinnell College President
The house was first built by Jesse and Maude Fellows, who both graduated from the College in 1901, with construction on the original house completed in 1918. Since then, the house has served as both a family home and a student dormitory, being a space shared between students and the wider Grinnell community for over a century.
The new name of the Hannah Alumni House originates from alum Mary Emily Hannah `58, with her donation of $1 million being the largest philanthropic gift from the alumni community towards the construction of the house.
But aside from being a place for Grinnell alumni to stay when returning to the town, the house will serve as a sandbox for any events that the space could offer.
“It’s a reservable space, and so it’s a space that we hope groups would choose to reserve, just like you can reserve a lounge or a classroom for a student [organization] meeting,” said Assistant Vice President of Alumni and Donor Relations Jayn Chaney `05.
“It’s not JRC 101. It’s designed for intimacy, it’s designed with a lot of cool, very comfortable spaces where people can sit and gather and be in community together,” said Chaney.
The house will also be available for reservation for events unrelated to the College, such as baby showers and weddings, creating a new connection with the community.
Amongst the crowd exploring the house were a few students. Student Government Association President Keanu Yamanaka `26 said, “I hope that it builds a space where alumni can feel welcome on campus and still bring a sense of community back to campus.”
He added that he “feels like the house is the embodiment of a lot of stories that people can bring to campus” and that Grinnell “continues to be a place that you feel welcome,” even after graduation.