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Centre College has changed the name of McReynolds Hall to the building's street address, following a request by students who did research on James Clark McReynolds (right), a Supreme Court justice from 1914 to 1941 who is considered among the more bigoted justices of his era. McReynolds frequently left the bench if a female or black lawyer argued before the Supreme Court. He was also known as an anti-Semite, refusing to talk to Louis Brandeis for three years following Brandeis's appointment because Brandeis was Jewish. McReynolds also criticized President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for nominating Benjamin Cardozo, also Jewish, as Supreme Court justice, with McReynolds quoted as saying that the court didn't need "another one."
Aside from his bigotry, McReynolds was known for voting to throw out many of the laws President Roosevelt sought to get the country out of the Great Depression. He was also known for being generous to orphans. McReynolds, a Kentuckian, had no direct tie to Centre, but he left the college an unrestricted bequest of $59,000 (about $730,000 in today's dollars) when he died in 1946. At that time, the college's board voted to honor him with a building name. The building houses IT staffers and also serves as a residence hall.
The recommendation of students to change the name was reviewed by various committees, and the Centre board unanimously voted to change it to 762 West Main.
