By the mid-1870s, however, the evangelical movement was in full force and the Philadelphian Society had passed even Whig and Clio in campus prestige. Additional new structures were needed to accommodate. With the help of a $20,000 bequest from the estate of Hamilton Murray, a member of the class of 1872 who had perished at sea in 1873, the Philadelphian Society constructed its own facility -- Murray Hall.

Although commissioned and paid for by the Society, Murray Hall could not have gone forward without McCosh's backing. It was begun in 1878 and dedicated the following June. Located west of Whig, Murray's brownstone complemented the cluster of High Victorian Gothic academic buildings to its north.

Until supplemented by the construction of the adjoining Dodge Hall in 1900, Murray's large auditorium (now Theatre Intime) and its handsome reading room served as the focus of campus evangelism.