places, presidents

Funston Courtyard

The Funston Courtyard is located next to the main entrance of the Raether Library & Information Technology Center. It is named for G. Keith Funston, who was Trinity College's president from 1945 until 1951.

Library courtyard dedication plaque honoring G. Keith Funston, ca. 1954. Photo credit: Trinity College Archives

Funston submitted his resignation to the College on June 16, 1951, to become president of the New York Stock Exchange. Shortly afterward, money for the construction of the fountain was donated by Trinity alumna Florence Sidette Marcy Crofut of Hartford, Connecticut, who received an honorary Master of Arts degree from the College in 1938. Crofut wanted to express “her personal appreciation for Funston’s service to Trinity when she presented the Funston Court, a sunken garden between the chemistry building and the new library.” Her contribution was received by the College on June 28, 1951. According to the Trinity College Bulletin, she donated $1,500 for the construction of the “Library Courtyard.” By 1952, this amount had increased to $2,000. The courtyard, which includes a fountain, was built between the years 1952 and 1954 after Crofut's donation was received.

The courtyard has served as an open-air performance space for student performances; in 1988 Moses and the Wandering Dervish, a play of the Persian Ta’ziyeh drama tradition, was performed by a cast of actors from New York. According to the Trinity Tripod, the adaptation performed at Trinity was the first time the play, in which a Dervish seeks to understand why God would create Hell, was performed in English. The play was performed in Funston Courtyard to an enthusiastic audience.

According to an alum quoted in The Trinity Reporter, the fountain was still functional when they were a student between 1979 and 1982. In 1991, an anonymous student shared their thoughts about the fountain, which was in need of repair at that time, in the Tripod: “Why can't someone fix the leaky fountain in the Funston Courtyard? Not only is it unsightly, but also an icy hazzard [sic] to pedestrians.” Scott Cassie ’82 recalls the Funston Courtyard as his favorite place on campus, reminiscing to The Trinity Reporter about how “The steps with the then-working fountain leading up to the quad and library entrance were the favorite path from my freshman room in Jones Hall.”

Funston Courtyard in the evening, 2011. Photo credit: Trinity College

Funston Fountain, restored in 2024. Photo credit: Casey Machenheimer

In 1995, after a $2.5 million donation for library renovation was pledged by board member Ruth Nutt, renovations to the Courtyard were considered. The College’s architects saw an opportunity to improve the courtyard’s aesthetics and capacity. These renovations became part of President Dobelle’s Master Plan, which included significant improvement of the library. The West Terrace of the library, built in the early 2000s, linked the courtyard to the library with architectural continuity with the addition of a covered seating area.

During times of favorable weather, the courtyard remains a popular outdoor gathering place for faculty, staff, and students. In 2024, the fountain was repaired and made functional again.