Thomson College, the central quadrangle now commonly known as the Old Graduate College, is a memorial to United States Senator John R. Thomson 1817 provided by a bequest left by his widow, Mrs. J.

[1] It was dedicated on October 22, 1913, during the tenure of the first dean of the Graduate School, Andrew Fleming West, and was the first residential college in the United States devoted solely to postgraduate liberal studies.

The group of Collegiate Gothic buildings was designed by Ralph Adams Cram and located on a hill, one-half mile west of the main campus.

Its most prominent architectural landmark is the 173-ft-high Cleveland Tower, which features one of the largest carillons in the United States.

The Graduate College's Pyne Tower is also the home of the current administrator in residence.