Carter Hall was named for former Board President John M. Carter. He'd secured funding to build the Main Building because the College's original location was destroyed in the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904.
After Maryland Institute's original location in downtown Baltimore was destroyed in the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, Board President John M. Carter secured funding from Andrew Carnegie and the State of Maryland to build the Main Building on Mount Royal Avenue. Signaling a new era for the school, the Main Building was to serve as home for most classes for years and made possible the continued expansion of the school's educational programs. Carter's portrait now hangs in the Main Building's boardroom.