Tiernan Hall

Martin F. Tiernan

Ground was broken for a new dormitory on River Campus in the spring of 1956 and it was named after University graduate and trustee Martin F. Tiernan.  The building opened in the fall of 1957 and held 160 students.

Tiernan Hall was extensively remodeled in 1996.

References
1948 "Controlling the Green Goddess," by Martin F. Tiernan, Journal of the American Water Works Association 40(10):1042-1050 (October 1948)

1956 "Dormitory Named for UR Alumnus," Campus Times, May 18, 1956, Page 2.
Martin F. Tiernan

1956 "New Residence Halls Honor Martin Tiernan and Dean Hoeing," Rochester Review 18(1):9-11 (September 1956)

1956 "New Dorm is Tiernan Hall," Campus Times, September 14, 1956, Page 3.

1956 Memoirs of Martin F. Tiernan, by Martin Farnan Tiernan

1957 "Over 6000 Enrolled in UR; New Men's Dorm Houses 170," Campus Times, September 17, 1957, Page 1.

1966 "Tiernan Hall Set to House U. of R. Coeds," Democrat and Chronicle, March 20, 1966, Page 16B.
Will become a women's residence hall in September.

1968 "Martin Tiernan, Chemicals Maker," The New York Times, March 25, 1968, Page 41.
Jersey Manufacturer and Leader in Charities Dies. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 1906.

1968 Martin F. Tiernan (1882-1968) grave in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover, New Jersey

1977 History of the University of Rochester, 1850-1962, by Arthur J. May.  Expanded edition with notes
Chapter 16, Men and Women
In 1946, Martin F. Tiernan, 1906, was cited in an Alumni Award as an internationally known industrialist and a pioneer in water sanitation; a trustee and generous benefactor of the University, his name was assigned to a men's residence hall on the River Campus.
Chapter 37, In Pursuit of Excellence
In the spring of 1956 ground was broken for a new men's dormitory of three stories to the north of Lovejoy. L-shaped, it had room for 150 occupants and at its opening in September, 1957, it was assigned the name of Martin F. Tiernan, 1906, University trustee and generous benefactor. A second and similar residential hall north of Hoeing, housing 174, was dedicated in June of 1960 in memory of Donald W. Gilbert, 1921, long-time professor of economics and University executive," Gilbert Hall, like Tiernan, was reserved for greenlings. Post-baccalaureate and selected undergraduates lived in the residence halls as advisers and counselors; commuting students affiliated with a residence hall--where they might stay overnight for a nominal fee--and participated in the social affairs of the unit.

1995 "Tiernan Prepared to Move," Campus Times, September 28, 1995, Page 6.
In January, students who live in Tiernan Hall will move to Lovejoy.

2013 The History of Wallace & Tiernan

Wallace & Tiernan Company records, RIT Archives
Martin F. Tiernan (1882-1968) was born in Rochester, NY on October 15, 1882 to Christopher and Mary (née Farnan) Tiernan. After graduating from the University of Rochester in 1906, Tiernan attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied sanitary engineering. As an assistant bacteriologist for the Pittsburgh Typhoid Fever Commission, Tiernan developed an interest in water sterilization. He married Purcell Carroll in Brewster, NY on September 2, 1916 and they had five children. Tiernan died in March 1968 in Garwood, NJ.

© 2021 Morris A. Pierce