The story of the Sample Gates How one of IU’s most iconic landmarks came to be By Meghana Rachamadugu megracha@iu.edu
IDS FILE PHOTO BY SAM HOUSE
The sun sets Oct. 10, 2020, behind the Sample Gates.
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SOURCE CAMPUS VISITOR’S GUIDE | FALL 2022
SOURCE CAMPUS VISITOR’S GUIDE | FALL 2022
The Sample Gates is an iconic pair of arches that form the entrance to the Old Crescent — the oldest part of IU’s campus, built between 1884 and 1908. Edson Sample funded the construction project in 1987 and dedicated it to his parents, Louise Waite Sample and Kimsey Ownbey Sample Sr. In 1883, when Indiana University relocated from South College Avenue and South Morton Street to Kirkwood Avenue, students and faculty wanted to build a gateway for the campus entrance. Alumni from 1899-1902 created the Arch Fund, but Theodore Rose, from the class of 1875, was already planning a gateway. The Arch Fund was instead used for chimes in the Student Building. In June 1904, Rose showed his proposal to the IU Board of Trustees, who decided Rose’s plan involved too-narrow arches that would block the entrance to campus. The materials were repurposed for the Rose Well House in 1908. In 1932, Newell Sanders proposed a gateway to honor the class of 1873. Three years later,
architectural revisions were made to accommodate the surrounding campus’s aesthetic. Over 35 years, alumni and various firms submitted 10 designs for the gates. In 1961, Eggers & Higgens suggested a gothic style “Fifth Street Gateway,” which is the one we see on campus today. However, the design wasn’t approved until 1968. In 1987, the Sample Gates finished construction at last. “The gates stand as a monument to those who have gone before us, to the work and vision of all who’ve helped to bring this university to greatness,” former IU president John Ryan said at the dedication ceremony, according to Pride at IU. Today, the Sample Gates is one of the most popular spots on campus for students, families and others. It’s also a very popular photo spot for both recent graduates and incoming freshmen. “The Sample Gates, both into the campus and from the campus into the community… are not two paths, but one. For me, it is a coming in, never a going out,” Vice President Kenneth Gros Louis said at the dedication ceremony of the Sample Gates in 1987.
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