Von Cramm Cooperative Hall


Von Cramm Cooperative Hall is a student operated house on the West Campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York State. The house was founded in 1956 by a grant from Thomas Gilchrist to form a memorial house at the university in memory of his close friend Baron Friedrich Sigismund von Cramm. Baron von Cramm was a lieutenant in the 16th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht who was killed by a Soviet grenade near Mariupol, Ukraine on October 6, 1941.
First occupied in September 1957, von Cramm Hall housed approximately 30 undergraduate upperclassmen chosen by Cornell's Dean of Men and the Director of Financial Aid. From that time onward new residents were chosen by housemembers themselves. Two members were compensated for their services: the Steward, in charge of menus and food purchases, and the House Manager. Members shared house upkeep and food preparation duties. During the 1970s the house became a self-governing co-operative open also to women. Today the co-op continues to be an active and vocal part of the Cornell University community. It has a history of social action and openness with a rich tradition of welcoming people from all parts of the globe. As a result, Von Cramm attracts many international students and is unofficially seen as the "international cooperative". House traditions include banquets and house clean-ups.