News Archive
Celebrating 125 Years: IU McKinney Dedicates the "House that Norm Built"
09/16/2019
It was a glorious Fall day in September 2001 when students, faculty, staff, alumni, and loads of dignitaries gathered on the lawn on the north side of Inlow Hall to dedicate the law school's new home. For this chapter in IU McKinney's series on the law school's history, we'll take a look at the day we dedicated "the house that Norm built."
Our longest-serving dean, Norman Lefstein, worked tirelessly and led the charge to raise the $37 million to build and furnish our home at 530 West New York Street.
If you've ever wondered whether anything on campus could outpace a commencement ceremony in the pomp and circumstance department, well wonder no more. A building dedication with a United States Supreme Court justice delivering the keynote speech ranks among the most majestic of university ceremonies. Inlow Hall was dedicated on September 21, 2001, with an address by then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
"The law, like architecture, always is in search of ways to express itself, new ways to understand itself… The marvelous interior uplifting atrium symbolizes the aspirations of the law," Justice Kennedy said. His words were, indeed, prescient, as in 2014, the school was named one of the most beautiful in the world by Best Choice Schools.
It was a mere 10 days after the September 11 attacks when IU McKinney held the Inlow Hall dedication ceremony. In addition to Justice Kennedy, several members of the Indiana Supreme Court and Court of Appeals were planning to attend. Having a wonderful dedication ceremony was important, but security was the first thing on everyone's minds in those days. Secret Service agents, there to protect Justice Kennedy, truly weren't exactly secret. But everyone was glad they were there.
So here we are, 18 years later, and still calling Inlow Hall the "new" building. The Maennerchor building was around for 67 years, and IU McKinney called it home for 26 of those. We've got a few more years of calling 530 West New York the "new" building to go.
In the photo, Dean Lefstein, left, presents Justice Kennedy with a piece of artwork in commemoration of the dedication ceremony.
