Gates Hall bears the name of Grinnell's second president, George Augustus Gates, who led the College from 1887 through 1900. Gates Hall is connected to the other five original men's halls by an open cloister or loggia, with a long line of 38 arches spanning the east side of the buildings from Dibble to Smith.
Gates-Rawson Tower, with its elaborate archways and tower at the center of the six original structures, provides one of Grinnell College's most famous landmarks. This central archway is positioned between Gates Hall on the north and Rawson Hall on the south. The spaces above the arches on both the east and west elevations are similar in decoration, having intricate oriel windows, escutcheons, and other Gothic elements. The towers are crenellated, again reflecting a Gothic motif.