Planned gifts have a remarkable ability to shape the future, often long after the donors themselves are gone. Few examples illustrate this more clearly than the legacy of the Blewett family, whose desire to leave a meaningful mark on WashU continues to benefit students nearly a century later.
As superintendent of Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS), Ben Blewett, AB 1876, MA 1878, and the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1914, devoted his life to education. Not only did he establish the Parsons Blewett Memorial Fund in support of SLPS and its teachers; he also made clear his wish that the remainder of his estate — left to his siblings — should ultimately support WashU. His sister, Avis Blewett, a piano and organ teacher, honored this desire and added her own musical flourish.
Avis made her first major gift to the university in 1945, establishing the Avis H. Blewett Professorship in Music and launching what would become the university’s first formal music department. She believed deeply in the value of music education and her philanthropy became a catalyst for expanding the humanities and performing arts on campus, earning praise from community leaders for elevating the cultural life of St. Louis. She also created a bequest that, upon her death in 1946, enabled the university to purchase a private residence near Forsyth and Big Bend boulevards. Renamed Blewett Hall, the building became the first home to the nascent music program and was a testament to Avis’ thoughtful estate planning. Her generosity extended further with the donation of a 38,000‑pipe organ. Installed in Graham Chapel in 1948, it was a centerpiece of WashU ceremonies, concerts, and community gatherings for nearly 40 years, before undergoing a major refurbishment in 1986.
The Blewett family legacy continued with Avis’ brother Scott’s 1927 bequest of more than $34 million to establish the Blewett Memorial Scholarship, which continues to support undergraduate students with financial need across the university. Through the many students it helps, it ensures that the Blewett family’s impact endures.
Though the Department of Music began in Blewett Hall, it will soon have a new home on Danforth Campus. This summer, construction of a new South 40 undergraduate residence hall is anticipated to begin on the site currently occupied by Blewett Hall and its neighboring buildings. As the music department transitions to new spaces on campus in the coming months, the Blewetts’ generosity remains a powerful reminder of how planned gifts can transform a university, enrich academic life, expand opportunity, and strengthen the cultural fabric of a community for generations.
The WashU Office of Planned Giving is here to help you achieve your financial goals and establish your own legacy. To learn more, contact the planned giving office at 800-835-3503 or plannedgiving@wustl.edu.
If you have already included WashU in your plans, thank you! We invite you to share that information with us so we can ensure your intentions are properly documented and that your wishes will be honored.
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As you discovered in the article above, the building we know as Blewett Hall was purchased by the university thanks to a gift from Avis Blewett in 1946. However, this was not the first time WashU owned the building.
Built by the university in 1909, the building served as the official residence of Chancellor David F. Houston until 1913. Interestingly, Houston was the only chancellor to ever live there. In 1913, he left the university to serve as Secretary of Agriculture under Woodrow Wilson, and Houston’s successor, Frederic Aldin Hall, chose to remain in his own home. The university then sold the building. Thanks to Avis Blewett’s gift, the former WashU building became a part of the university once again in the 1940s as the home of the new music department.