Marquette’s New Residence Hall Will Be Named In Honor Of Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J.

On Wednesday, as a part of his State Of The University address, Marquette University president Michael Lovell announced that the university has decided to name the newly under construction residence hall in honor of Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J.

The naming honor comes along with the announcement of a fundraising challenge from Ray and Kay Eckstein. The prominent Marquette donors, who already have their name on the Marquette University Law School, have pledged $10 million in matching funds towards the new residence hall. Their gift will kick in once the university has raised $10 million for the building from other sources.

The new residence hall will have two towers, and as a result of their gift, one of the towers will be named for the Ecksteins. The other tower is still unnamed, while the entire complex will bear the name of Marquette’s 22nd president and current chancellor.

The key here is that the building is not named Wild Hall. As Fr. Wild himself put it:

The actual name for the building on Wells Street between 17th Street and 18th Street is still up for grabs. Working their way around Fr. Wild’s last name might take a little bit of doing.

The new building, which will house 750 freshmen and sophomores, is set to open in August of 2018, so they’ve got more than a few months to get that part settled out. Once construction is finished and the new residence hall is up and running, McCormick Hall will officially be closed and demolition of the iconic Marquette building will begin.

You can read more about Fr. Wild, the Ecksteins, and the residence hall in the official MU press release right here.