Margaret Morrison Street Neighborhood Commons

The Margaret Morrison Street Neighborhood Commons is a reimagined space on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus designed to foster connection, collaboration and creativity within the CMU community. Margaret Morrison Carnegie was the mother of Andrew Carnegie, the famed industrialist and philanthropist behind Carnegie Mellon University. She was known for her resilience, determination, and support of education—values that continue to inspire CMU’s mission today. The Margaret Morrison Carnegie College, once part of CMU, was originally founded to provide higher education for women and her legacy lives on in this beautiful space through subtle signage. The halftone aluminum portrait highlights herself and a custom-written poem in low-contrast letters, captures her quiet strength while inviting people to pause and reflect.