EXHIBITS
The Built Environment: 130 Years of Growth, Development, and Change on the USU Campus: Life on College Hill: University Housing
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Life on College Hill: University Housing
Student housing has been a recurrent problem at USU. Although a women’s dormitory was among the earliest college buildings, most students found room and board with local, downtown residents. Particularly pronounced as WWII veterans returned after 1946, the housing shortage required erecting military surplus buildings to house married students. The campus employed a number of resourceful ideas to meet student housing needs, endeavoring to accommodate an ever-growing university population.
Residence Hall (1891–1970)
Built in 1891, the Residence Hall rested at the bottom of College Hill. Originally a women’s facility, popular stories of the time tell of young men using the fire escape to serenade potential sweethearts. The college later converted it to a “clubhouse” for both men and women, who occupied separate floors. In 1909, the structure became home to the School of Domestic Science, then home to the School of Forestry after completion of the Home Economics Building in 1935. Forestry, along with range and wildlife sciences, remained in the aging building until construction of the Biology/Natural Resources Building (BNR) in 1960. Demolished in 1970, the Aggie Terrace sits on the former site of the dormitory.
Lund Hall (1937–2013)
Taking advantage of Depression Era funding, the college built a new women’s dormitory east of the library in 1938. Named for college stalwart Anthon H. Lund, the building later housed student athletes through 1970 and lastly the Mathematics and Statistics Department. The National Park Service placed Lund Hall on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Contractors razed the dormitory to accommodate Huntsman Hall in 2013.
Housing Crisis (1946–1960s)
The college continued using the temporary military structures moved to campus during WWII for housing and classrooms. To help relieve the housing crisis for thousands of returning veterans and their families, the university purchased trailer homes, Quonset huts, and tropical bungalows, which remained in service until construction of Aggie Village during the 1960s. The Field House provided bunk beds for single men while Lund Hall housed twice as many women students as originally designed. The last remaining Quonset hut on campus now houses Utah Public Radio.
