Mahan Hall, Annapolis

Mahan Hall is an academic and cultural building at the United States Naval Academy, first occupied in 1907. It is named after Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, a naval officer and historian whose ideas about sea power influenced naval strategy worldwide. In 1890 he published The Influence of Sea Power upon History, which argued that strong navies were important for protecting trade and national interests.

The building was designed by architect Ernest Flagg as part of an early twentieth-century rebuilding plan for the academy campus. It follows the Beaux-Arts style, with red brick walls, light stone trim, and large arched windows. A tall clock tower rises above the central quadrangle. From 1907 to 1973, the building served as the academy’s main library, and the former reading room, the Hart Room, is now used as a lounge and meeting space.

Today Mahan Hall is used for several academic and cultural activities. It contains a large auditorium used for lectures, ceremonies, and performances and is home to the USNA Masqueraders, the academy’s theater group. Visitors can also see historical naval artifacts, including captured enemy flags such as a British Royal Standard taken at the Battle of York in 1813.