Campus Activities Complex

Building 50

Built in 1916 in honor of the former MIT President, Francis A. Walker, (Building 50) was one of the early buildings built on MIT’s Cambridge campus. The architect, Welles Bosworth (MIT Class of 1889), patterned his design of the building after the gentlemen’s clubs of the nineteenth century, complete with social rooms, meeting rooms, offices, athletic facilities, and dining rooms. Murals, painted by Edwin Howard Blashfield (MIT Class of 1869), grace the walls of Morss Hall. Blashfield’s murals can be seen at the Library of Congress, the Detroit Public Library, and various state buildings around the country.

Building 50 continues to serve the MIT Community. It is home to many student group offices, the Graduate Student Council, the Black Students Union Lounge, the WMBR radio station, the Rainbow Lounge, the Climbing Wall, the Muddy Charles Pub, and a dance rehearsal room.  Building 50 also has Morss Hall, a large banquet facility with patios available to MIT groups for events. The gym in  Building 50 serves as an exam facility.