Ballou Hall, named for Tufts’ first president Hosea Ballou 2d, was the first building to be erected for the new Tufts College. The cornerstone was laid in 1853 and construction was completed the following year. Designed by Boston architect Gridley James Fox Bryant (1816-1899), Ballou Hall was initially referred to as simply College Building or College Hall. It housed classrooms, the library, laboratories, a museum, administrative and faculty offices, student living quarters, and a chapel, now the Coolidge Room.