This Month in AUC History: Ewart Memorial Hall Completed

Construction of Ewart Memorial Hall began in 1927 and was completed in March 1928. The hall was built after an anonymous female donor donated $100,000 in 1925 for an auditorium to be named after her grandfather William Dana Ewart, an American inventor and businessman who had visited Cairo almost 20 years earlier. Over the years, Ewart became the site of popular lectures by prominent speakers from around the world, film screenings and cultural events. In the late 1930s, the Egyptian Broadcasting Company aired a winter series of live monthly radio concerts from Ewart’s stage featuring Um Kalthoum. In March 1999, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at Ewart Memorial Hall. To view photos of Ewart Memorial Hall throughout the years,click here.

Other notable events in March include the Ministry of Higher Education recognizing all but three AUC degrees as equivalent to those offered by Egyptian universities (1974), and the AUC sports program winning representation in the National Universities Sports Union (1974). Soon, AUC teams began participating in the National Universities Tournament.

Photo caption: Ewart Memorial Hall filled to capacity for an event during the 1930s (Photo courtesy of AUC University Archives)