Ezra Cornell Monument, Bronze and granite monument at Cornell University, United States
The Ezra Cornell Monument is a bronze standing figure on a granite base, placed on the Arts Quad of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It stands between two of the main campus buildings, making it visible from the surrounding walkways.
The monument was made between 1915 and 1917 and officially dedicated in 1919, more than 40 years after Ezra Cornell died in 1874. It was created at a time when the university was deliberately shaping its own identity and history.
The bronze figure stands on a granite base looking out over the Arts Quad, in a formal upright pose. Students pass by it several times a day, and it serves as a natural meeting point between classes.
The monument sits on the Arts Quad, an open area at the center of campus that is easy to reach on foot. A visit pairs well with a walk through the surrounding buildings on the same quad.
A student tradition holds that rubbing the statue's nose before exams brings good luck, and the nose is now noticeably shinier than the rest of the bronze figure. In 1985, students from a rival university painted the monument as part of an ongoing prank exchange between the two schools.
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