Glorious to View Something Old, Something New: East Hill, Then & Now Check out our ‘sliding’ photo feature—where you can compare campus past and present, side by side As the saying goes: the more Cornell changes, the more it stays the same. At Cornellians, we wanted to celebrate both the similarities and the differences of East Hill over the decades. So we dug up a collection of vintage images and teamed up with our photography colleagues to produce a series of “then and now” shots. This story is the first in an occasional series in which readers can segue from past to present and back again—simply by sliding the arrow at the center of the image to the left or right. Note: If you’re reading on mobile, hold your phone horizontally for the most slider-friendly view! McGraw Tower (now under scaffolding) and the southern edge of the Arts Quad, viewed from the driveway of A.D. White House. This block of College Avenue—once home to Rulloff’s, Oliver’s, and Collegetown Bagels—now hosts an Ithaca Beer brewpub. Did you know that the north wing of Goldwin Smith Hall was originally a standalone building that housed Dairy Science? Aerial views show the many changes of a growing campus. In 1891, the tower gazed down upon cows grazing at the bottom of the Slope. Phillips Hall once stood alone on the north edge of the Engineering Quad; today, it’s joined by Duffield. Vintage images by Rare and Manuscript Collections; current photos by Jason Koski and Ryan Young / Cornell University. Published August 19, 2024 Comments Elizabeth Cowles, Class of 1982 21 Aug, 2024 Thank you for posting these pictures. My paternal grandmother (1927) and maternal grandfather (1924) and father (1956) would recognize the older pictures. Reply David, Class of 2018 21 Aug, 2024 It’s so fun to see how many buildings have just been attached to existing halls, and just using wildly different styles. I don’t even mind it, I think it’s a fun effect! Reply James Morey, Class of 1990 27 Aug, 2024 Am I the only one who finds the older pictures (especially the one of Collegetown) more happy and appealing? Sic transit gloria mundi. Reply Michael Tannenbaum, Class of 1975 27 Aug, 2024 I strongly agree, although the 1970s-era Engineering Quad buildings were pretty ugly! I rue two trends that I feel have dimished the campus’ beauty: filling in open spaces and too many different architectural styles. Reply Toni Naeser, Class of 1985 29 Aug, 2024 Yes. We went back this summer. We did not like Collegetown at all. ☹️It lost the charm that it had with the quirky buildings, bars and restaurants. You can tell from the older photo. That brick building with the brewpub? 😖 Reply Gary Stell, Class of 1975 27 Aug, 2024 I remember the Elm trees in the early ’70s. But they were already diseased then. Reply Sara Poor, Class of 1985 27 Aug, 2024 I feel a little sad that oliver’s, ruloff’s, and college town bagels are all gone… :-(( Reply L.Wicks, Class of 1990 27 Aug, 2024 Agree; the current picture in collegetown looked so sad and empty! Reply Brinda Govindan, Class of 1989 27 Aug, 2024 Me too! Reply Caroline Hecht, Class of 1976 27 Aug, 2024 And before it was Oliver’s, it was Pop’s Place – if I’m remembering right. Reply Lindsay Forness, Class of 1984 29 Aug, 2024 College Town Bagels isn’t gone, it just moved across the street. No worries 🙂 Reply Rosalea Postma-Carttar 27 Aug, 2024 If the dates of the past photos were given, I missed them. I think that’s important information. Thanks for the feature, in any case. Reply David Harding, Class of 1972 27 Aug, 2024 I totally agree that dates would be very interesting. I was looking for them. It would also have been nice to see not-quite-current photos of Libe Tower without the scaffolding, though the closer the match to the early camera position and angle the better. Reply John [Jack] Dwyer, Class of 1964 27 Aug, 2024 Collegetown is a special place to me. Lived in Sheldon Court[emergency housing] my freshman year. Zinks was across the street a short walk to Johnnies Big Red and the iconic Palms where I had my first beer, not quite 18 legal drinking age back when the earth’s crust was cooling.All 3 children,all Cornellians, also de stressed at the Palms.Long walk to ag quad for those 8 o’clocks. How about a picture of Quonset huts on eng. quad.Seems like a million years ago yesterday. Reply Diane Bishop Hanson, Class of 1959 27 Aug, 2024 I loved these! Perhaps you could do more! But my memories will always be from 1955-1960. And I now understand why I feel so disoriented when I come bcak to campus. Reply Sharon Holland Loucks, Class of 1987 28 Aug, 2024 Love these ‘then and now’ photos–so fascinating to see the changes. And I agree photo dates would be much appreciated. Thanks for putting this together. Look forward to more. Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Campus & Beyond On North Campus, New Buildings Shape Future of Undergrad Community Alumni Giving Voice to the Often Voiceless, Alum Wins a ‘Genius Grant’ Cornelliana For 75+ Years, Students Have Made Watermargin a Home