The history of student housing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reflects the history of the campus itself, all the way back to 1851 when North Hall opened as UW’s first dormitory. While the buildings have changed over the decades, the tradition of on-campus housing has continued for over 160 years, providing a key part of the college experience to multiple generations of Badgers.
Photo Slideshow: 100 Years of Student Housing (courtesy of UW-Madison Libraries’ Archives)
University of Wisconsin Housing Chronology
1851: North Hall opens
1855: South Hall opens
1863: University women take up residence in South Hall
1867-68: Female College established
1871: Female College Building opens; men reoccupy South Hall
1874: Female College Building renamed Ladies’ Hall
1885: Men’s dormitories in North and South Halls closed
1901: Ladies’ Hall renamed Chadbourne Hall
1904: Van Hise inaugural address
1908: Architectural Commission campus plan completed
1910: Lathrop Hall opens
1913: Barnard Hall opens
1924: Department of Halls and Commons renamed Department of Dormitories and Commons; Donald Halverson appointed Director of Dormitories and Commons; Dormitory Committee appointed
1926: Van Hise units (including Adams Hall and Tripp Hall) open; House Fellow System put into effect
1927: Experimental College occupies Adams Hall
1929: Report on University City submitted to regents
1938: A, B, and C of Kronshage units open
1939: Remaining five dormitories and dining facilities of Kronshage units open
1940: Elizabeth Waters Hall opens; Department of Dormitories and Commons renamed Division of Residence Halls
1945: Lee Burns appointed Director of Division of Residence Halls; Camp Randall trailer camp opens
1946: Truax Field facility opens; Badger Ordnance Works facility opens
1947: University Houses open; Slichter Hall opens
1954: Newell Smith appointed Director of Division of Residence Halls
1955: Zoe Bayliss and Schreiner houses open
1957: Eagle Heights apartments open
1958: Holt units on Elm Drive open (Cole Hall, Sullivan Hall)
1959: Second set of Elm Drive units opens (Friedrick Center, Bradley Hall); new Chadbourne Hall opens
1960: Ten Year Housing Plan prepared
1961: Susan B. Davis House opens
1963: Rust House opens; Sellery Hall, first building of Southeast Dormitory Area, opens
1964: Witte Hall opens
1965: Ogg Hall (at 716 W. Dayton Street) and Gordon Commons open
1983: Norm Sunstad appointed Director of Division of University Housing
1986: Merit House opens
1998: Paul Evans appointed Director of Division of University Housing
2006: Smith Hall opens
2007: A new residence hall opens (at 835 W. Dayton Street); Ogg Hall name is transferred to the new building and the old building is removed
2011: Friedrick Hall renamed Phillips Hall
2012: Dejope Hall and Gordon Dining & Event Center open; old Gordon Commons is removed
2013: Leopold Hall opens; renovated Carson Gulley Center and Frank Holt Center reopen
2014: Jeff Novak appointed Director of Division of University Housing
Building and House Namesakes
At UW–Madison, most of our residence halls and dining centers are named in honor of individuals who were affiliated with the University and had significant accomplishments to be recognized. In addition, many of our residence halls are divided up into houses, which may consist of a floor, wing, or small building within the residence hall, each with a House Fellow providing live-in support for their residents. With this unique house system, founded in the 1920s, each house is also named after notable individuals with ties to UW–Madison.
In the coming months, we plan to publish biographies of these individuals here, to share the history and contributions of University Housing’s many namesakes.