Housing and Residence Life Through the Years
Making OHIO Home: 1800s to the Present
Welcome to our journey through the evolution of Housing and Residence Life! From the 1800s to today, explore how housing and residence life have transformed over the centuries. Our chronological timeline highlights key milestones, innovations, and pivotal moments that have shaped student living experiences. Dive in to discover the rich history that has paved the way for modern housing and residence life. Enjoy the exploration!
1800s
1804 –On February 18, Ohio University was chartered by the State of Ohio’s general assembly. An academy was established to prepare local youth for college level work. Three students enrolled in the academy in 1808.
1815 –Ohio University graduated its first three students, the most prominent of which was Thomas Ewing, who would become a U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.
1820 –The University Board of Trustees set maximum weekly rates stipulating that Athens townspeople could not charge students more than $1.50 per week for board; $2.00 for board and lodging; or $2.50 for board, lodging, heating fuel, candles and washing.
1828 –College Edifice (known today as Cutler Hall) continued to house students, charging $1.25 per week.
1845 –The University prohibited dancing; the faculty stated that “the course of study... is designed to be sufficient to occupy the whole time of its students...”
1860 –More than 50 students lived in the college buildings, as student rent payments provided a source of much needed University income at this time.
1896 –Building erected on the corner of College and Union streets by College Place Improvement Company, a local business group, was leased to Ohio University as the institution’s first residence hall; aptly named as Women’s Hall because it housed only female students. The University purchased the building for $30,000 in 1908 and it was renamed Howard Hall (in honor of the former University President Solomon Howard) in 1916.
1899 –University enrollment reached 249 students (90 female,159 male).
1900s
1902 –Approximately 259 students were enrolled at Ohio University as the state Normal College (program for future teachers) opened.
1905 –According to University President Ellis, this moment was a turning point in the residential living presence on the Ohio University campus. “We have reached a parting of the ways on the matter. Either additional accommodations must be provided or the whole dormitory system abolished.”
1906 –With the Normal College program in place and enrollment consequently increasing rapidly--especially the enrollment of women--the Ohio legislature appropriated funds for a new residence hall. As a result, Boyd Hall, named after Ohio University’s first female student, and with a capacity to house 88 students, was constructed on the College Green, just to the east of Alden Library’s present location.
1910s
1910 –After a renovation, Women's Hall housed 100 female students.
1913 –As female student enrollment continued to climb, Dr. Irma Voigt began her tenure as Ohio University’s first dean of women. She held this office until her retirement in 1949.
1915 –Dean Irma Voigt planned and directed parades and theatrical performances involving hundreds of students and towns-people, as the University celebrated 100 years since graduating its first three students.
1917 –Lindley Hall, named after Jacob Lindley, Ohio University’s first president, was built to house 120 female students, bringing the total number of students housed at the University to 380.
1917 –As the United States entered World War I, University enrollment dwindled to 828, a decline of 25 percent over just a one-year period. Howard Hall became a barracks for the Student Army Training Corps. Later on temporary barracks were built on College Green to house male students who were members of various military training units.
1930s
1936 –The first two sides of what would become known as Scott Quadrangle were built, beginning as a residence hall for male students.
1936 –Ohio University introduced the seven-college system to attract more students with a wider variety of academic majors. University College was instituted to help retain first-year students.
1937 –Formerly known as Women’s Hall, Howard Hall was expanded again to accommodate 75 more female students.
1939 –University enrollment reached 3,307 students, a 20 percent increase over the decade despite the nation facing the harsh economic times of the Great Depression. A north wing was added to Lindley Hall to help accommodate this enrollment growth.
1940s
1942 –Enrollment decreased severely as male students left to join the military during World War II.
1943 –Resident Counselors, formerly known as Head Residents, were trained in student personnel work and managed the residence halls.
1946 –With World War II ending and military veterans taking advantage of the G.I. Bill’s education benefits, a grant from the state legislature helped Ohio University to address its subsequent 300 percent enrollment increase by constructing 23 barracks-style residence halls. Located in the low-lying, often-flooded area that is known today as the East Green, the barracks on so-called “Hog Island,” housed 740 male students.
1948 –World War II male veterans resided in Howard Hall, formerly a residence hall for women. Many women moved to University owned or leased cottages or roomed in private homes.
1949 –Bryan Hall, the first residence hall at Ohio University to have an elevator, was dedicated as an all-female hall on April 23.
1950s
1950 –The Student Resident Counselors program began in the Office of the Dean of Women. The spirit of community building and being a resource for students in the halls persists today through the Resident Assistant program. Meanwhile, Scott Hall officially became a quadrangle with the addition of its fourth and final side.
1951 –As the University approached the celebration of its sesquicentennial, and enrollment continued to climb, the construction of twelve new residence halls began during the early 1950s.
1952 –Johnson Hall, the first hall on the new East Green, was completed and housed male students. Lindley Hall’s south wing was also completed during this year.
1953 –Construction of East Green halls continued with the completion of Perkins in 1953. Biddle, Bush, Read, Tiffin, and Washington were completed in 1954. Meanwhile, although construction of Voigt Hall was not yet completed by the time classes began in 1954, women moved in anyway.
1959 –With the opening of Lincoln Hall, the East Green building project was completed. Also, during 1959, Alan Weinburg dressed up in the first Bobcat mascot suit and posed with costume designer Thomas Schantz. Residents of Lincoln Hall helped to design and construct the costume as the Bobcat made its debut during the Homecoming in 1960, the same year that the University’s football arena was named Peden Stadium.
1960s
Early 1960s –Integration of residence halls on Ohio University’s campus began.
1960 –Ohio University and the City of Athens applied together for urban renewal funds for the purchase and construction of the future West Green. The ground-break-ing ceremony was held on November 18.
1961 –Residence hall occupancy was 5,055 students. As the decade progressed, enrollment climbed quickly, and the University ramped up planning for the construction of more residence halls.
1962 –Grosvenor Hall, the first West Green residence hall, was completed. James and Sargent Halls were opened during the next year.
1964 –Hocking River floods, such as the flood of 1964 that is illustrated in the top image to the left, were frequent occurrences. Residence halls on East and West Greens were highly impacted. Severe flooding also occurred in 1960, 1963, 1967, and 1968.
1965 –Construction of West Green continued with the opening of Treudley, Wilson, and Irvine Halls. Additionally, Pickering Hall on South Green opened to residents.
1966 –Bromley Hall, Ohio University’s first coed residence hall, was managed by a third-party company called The Bromley Group, who eventually sold the building to The College Inn and then bought it back. Ohio University purchased Bromley Hall in 2001. Boyd, Brown, and Ryors Halls also opened during this year.
1967 –To the direct left, Marching 110 sousaphone players posed on the nearly completed West Green. Notice that Crook Hall (currently Stocker Center) does not yet have its iconic clock tower. Also during 1967 Mackinnon and Crawford Halls open on South Green.
1968 –Unique in its make-up to this day, the Convocation Center, part residence hall, part basketball arena, and part special events venue, opened.
1969 –In an effort to end the frequent flooding, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rerouted the flow of the Hocking River to the south of campus. On April 12, University President Vernon Alden and first lady Marion Alden broke ground to begin this project which enabled the future building of the new South Green residence halls and helped preserve the newly built West Green.
1969 –As enrollment continued to climb, all residence halls were at full-capacity, with occupancy reaching nearly 9,000 students. Ground was broken for a “New South” residential community which consisted of 15 mod-style residence halls on South Green, with catwalks elevated above the flood plain.
1969 –In protesting the long-unpopular “women’s hours” curfew rule, 850 female residence hall students stayed out past the University-imposed 11PM curfew. By the 1970s, the women’s curfew was withdrawn.
1970s
1970 –University enrollment reached 19,314 with over 9,000 of those students living in the residence halls. On Court Street where the diner now stands, Berry Hall, formerly the Berry Hotel, which had been an African American-owned establishment in its heyday was an Ohio University residence hall from 1961 until 1970.
1970 –In spring, Ohio University students protested the Vietnam War, the military draft, and the ROTC throughout the late 1960s and into 1970. In the wake of fatal shootings of four students by Ohio National Guardsmen at Kent State University on May 4, Ohio University student protests in Athens became more regular and more violent. At 3AM on May 15, University President Claude Sowle announced that the University was closed for the remainder of the academic quarter. Students had 48 hours to collect their belongings and exit the campus. Room and board payments were pro-rated. Graduation ceremonies were cancelled.
1971 –“New South Green” halls opened to residents. Ohio University Board of Trustees adopted the policy requiring students to live on-campus for two years.
1974 –The first unofficial Halloween block party was held in Athens.
1975 –Although 25,000 had once been the projected University enrollment for the year 1975, only 12,814 students were enrolled for the fall quarter. Residence hall occupancy subsequently dropped to 5,501, resulting in the closing of several residence halls. However, the establishment of the College of Osteopathic Medicine helped to soften the blow as some of the West Green’s former residence halls were repurposed as classrooms and laboratories.
Mid 1970s –The tradition of Junior Prom, or J-Prom, continued as students created props and performed skits on the residential greens during the days leading up to the prom.
1980s & 1990s
1987 –The Department of Residence Life began the tradition of establishing annual themes to educate and connect staff to the goals and vision of the department. To build suspense and subsequent excitement, each new annual theme remained a highly guarded secret until it was revealed to resident assistants, professional staff, and others during fall training.
1989 –Heading into the 1990s, residence hall occupancy held steady at around 6,900 residents.
1995 –Students returned to campus in January to find their rooms wired for cable TV. Computerized ID cards were also introduced this year, including the new feature of Bobcat Cash, which could be used in laundry facilities, among other campus conveniences.
2000s
2002 –Renovations to East Green residence halls began. Over the next decade Biddle, Bush, Johnson, Lincoln, Read, and Shively Halls were renovated.
2007 –Adams Hall, a new residence hall on South Green, opened over 30 years after the last new hall was constructed.
2010s
2013 –The Housing Ambassadors program was established as a way for prospective Bobcats to learn about life in the residence halls during their on-campus visits.
2015 –Four new suite-style residence halls were constructed on South Green: Carr, Luchs, Sowle and Tanaka Halls.
2016 –Between the summers of 2016 and 2017, six “New South” residence halls were demolished – Cady, Foster, Brough, Fenzel, Martzolff, and O’Bleness. The razing of these halls will enable future use of the land for University needs.
2017 –Jefferson Hall was fully renovated and it now includes a first-floor, living-learning area complete with study rooms, a game room, and multipurpose spaces available for use by students and the rest of the University community. With Jefferson's renovations, an East Green Mail Room was constructed at the east end of the building to serve all of East Green residents. Consequently, Ryors Hall and Mackinnon Hall had ground floor spaces converted to mail rooms to serve their respective greens. Boyd, Gamertsfelder, James, and Tiffin Halls were also upgraded to enhance the living-learning environment.
2018 –Serving as mentors and guides to their residents, resident assistants continue to cultivate a cooperative and inclusive community in their halls. Approximately 280 student staff serve on-campus residents in this role today.
2018-Beginning in 2018, Ohio University’s Housing and Residence Life department began to recognize one alumni annually through the Distinguished Alumni Award. The Housing and Residence Life Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes the accomplishments of Ohio University alumni, who were employed by Housing and Residence Life or served in a Housing and Residence Life leadership role (the Residence Action Council) tRAC, Residence Hall Association, hall council, etc.), and who have not only demonstrated exceptional achievement in their chosen profession but have also made a meaningful impact in their local and global community.
2019 –In the summer of 2019, Atkinson, Armbruster, and Smith were demolished as part of a multi-year Housing Master Plan.
2020's
2021-Weld House, a building from the "New South" complex, was demolished to make way for Paw Print Park.
2021-Housing and Residence Life invested significant staff and resources to bolster engagement with commuter and off-campus students. This initiative aimed to foster a stronger sense of community and connection among students living outside the campus, providing tailored support and opportunities for involvement that addressed their unique needs and experiences.
2022-Paw Print Park construction is completed and opens to the OHIO community. The park changes the landscape of South Green and features two giant Bobcat paw prints – one designated as a hammock space with sunshades and metal poles that can accommodate as many as 56 hammocks, the other available for student gathering and events.
2022-Summer of 2022, Scott Quad was demolished. Gamertsfelder Hall closed for large scale renovations (remove window units, connect to chilled water system, new HVAC systems, new lighting, new bathrooms, and the addition of single user bathrooms).
2022-Housing secured master leases for over 400 beds at adjacent apartment complexes (River Park, River's Edge, River Gate, and University Courtyard) to accommodate the largest incoming first-year class in OHIO's history. HRL maintained these master lease spaces for a few years to support the larger class sizes and the demolition of the remaining "New South" buildings, complete year-long renovations of halls like Gamertsfelder and the Front Four (Brown, Mackinnon, Crawford, and Pickering), and manage the construction of the new hall on South Green.
2023-The initial level of Boyd Hall underwent renovation during the summer of 2023, completing the process in spring 2024. While the upper floors serve as the residence for on-campus students, the first floor functions as a communal hub for all Ohio University students and staff. On one side of this floor lies The District: On West Green, managed by Culinary Services, while the other half houses The Den (named by OHIO students), operated by Housing and Residence Life. The Den features a spacious 900 square foot lounge designed for studying and socializing, along with other designated spaces. The Den includes two flex offices and River Lounge. The Den main area is equipped with a printing station available for student and guest use.
2023-The first-floor lobbies of Sargent and Treudley Halls underwent extensive renovations, enhancing their functionality and aesthetic appeal. Additionally, Gamertsfelder Hall completed its renovation project in the summer of 2023. The updates included the installation of new flooring, cabinetry, and furniture, alongside a fresh coat of paint, resulting in a modernized and refreshed living environment.
2024-Construction began on the next phase of the housing master plan with a new 591-bed residence hall, featuring communal spaces designed for students and the broader OHIO community. This hall was dedicated and named in August 2024 in honor of former OHIO President Roderick J. McDavis.