The evolution of the University of Connecticut can be told through the history of residence halls on the Storrs campus.

From the single, wood frame building that housed the first dozen male students, to the brick-built eight-story NextGen Hall, each step in the development of the school’s mission and each successive growth in enrollment has sparked a need for new student housing.

Shortly after its inception, the admission of women required separate accommodations; and as the future of the Storrs Agricultural School became more certain around the turn of the 20th century, brick dormitories began to be built.

World Wars I and II brought changes in the student population that were reflected in additional or re-assigned dormitories to accommodate the influx of women even as the male population decreased. The post-war era of the late 1940s and early 1950s led to a construction boom, as veterans flocked to campus for a college education under the GI Bill. Another wave of construction to accommodate the baby boom generation occurred in the 1960s.

In 1998 a residence complex, South Campus, was constructed, with some of its funding drawn from UConn 2000, the 10-year, $1 billion state-supported program to rebuild and renovate UConn’s infrastructure that was inspired by an ambitious plan to elevate the University to world-class status. With its Collegiate Gothic-style buildings similar to some of UConn’s older buildings, South Campus was a symbol of the University’s renaissance.

Then, in 2013, the state General Assembly passed legislation known as Next Generation Connecticut to expand UConn’s programs in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math), increase enrollment, and help build Connecticut’s future workforce. As a result of that initiative and in keeping with its aspirations, this week UConn opened the doors of the magnificent new NextGen Hall for more than 700 students. Its layout includes not only space for social events, but for learning and innovation, too.

Over time some residences have been converted into administrative and teaching space, and some no longer exist. But many continue to provide homes to generations of students living on campus. Photos, both archival and more recent, tell the story of UConn’s residence halls.

Whitney Hall

A photo of the original Whitney Hall from Route 195, taken in the early 1880s. It was the first building of the Storrs Agricultural School when it opened in 1881. Constructed in the mid-1860s by Edwin Whitney, the building was used as a home for oprhans of Connecticut's Civil War dead until 1875. Approximately 25 students resided in the original Whitney Hall between 1881 and 1890. By 1909, it was no longer used as a dormitory. It was razed in 1932, but a granite slab that was the front step of the building is still in place on the corner of what is now Route 195 and North Eagleville Road, close to the UConn sign. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

Grove Cottage, Connecticut Agricultural College

Grove Cottage, Connecticut Agricultural College. The two-story cottage was constructed in 1896, after women began enrolling in 1893, and housed 24 female students. It burned down in 1919. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

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Campus buildings around the turn of the 20th century, including from left, Grove Cottage and Gold Hall dormitories, and also Old Main, the Chemistry Lab, and the Experiment Station office. Gold Hall was constructed in 1890, with space for 30 men in single rooms. It burned down in 1914, and Grove Cottage suffered the same fate in 1919. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

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Some dorms were worth writing home about. This postcard from 1906 shows views of 'old' and 'new' dorms. Old Whitney Hall was the first building of the Storrs Agricultural School when it opened in 1881. Grove Cottage was built in 1896 as the first dormitory for women. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

Storrs Hall

Storrs Hall was built in 1906, the first brick dormitory at the institution, named in honor of founder and benefactor Augustus Storrs. It had 30 two-man suites and six single rooms. No longer a dormitory, it now houses the School of Nursing. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

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Storrs Hall in the 1940s. Storrs and Koons Halls were converted into academic buildings after World War II. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

Koons Hall (dormitory, 1913), Connecticut Agricultural College_1927

Koons Hall was built as a dormitory in 1913 and named for Benjamin F. Koons, the first President of Storrs Agricultural College (1893-1899). It was built in a similar style of architecture and interior design to Storrs Hall. Because of growth in enrollment, by 1918, Storrs and Koons Halls held twice the number of residents than they were designed for. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

Valentine House

The Valentine House, formerly the Storrs family homestead, was acquired by the College around 1920 and was used to accommodate female students. It faced west on what is now Route 195 and stood in front of what is now Whitney Hall. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

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Holcomb Hall is the oldest building currently in use as a residence hall. It was built in 1921, after Grove Cottage burned down in 1919, and was originally known simply as 'the Women's Building.' By an odd twist of history, it came to be named for the governor, Marcus H. Holcomb, who originally vetoed the appropriations bill that included the dormitory. The bill was reintroduced, however, and passed. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

Holcomb Hall Dedication, Connecticut Agricultural College - Copy

William H. Hall (state senator from Willington) speaks from the porch of Valentine House to a large crowd of men and women, during the dedication ceremony for Holcomb Hall in 1922. The new women's dorm, apparently still under construction, can be seen in the background. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

William Henry Hall Dormitory_1934

William Henry Hall Dormitory was constructed in 1927 and housed 88 men. It was named for a state senator from Willington, who was influential in getting funds appropriated by the General Assembly for Connecticut Agricultural College. During World War II, when the population of male students dwindled, both Hall and Wood dorms housed women, and did not house men again until 1949. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

Whitney Hall, University Of Connecticut_cropped

Whitney Hall, a dormitory for women, opened in 1940, the same year Wood Hall opened for men. It was named for Edwina Whitney, who was librarian from 1900 to 1934 and the first woman to receive an honorary degree from Connecticut State College in the year she retired. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

Manchester Hall, University Of Connecticut

Manchester Hall opened as a dormitory for men in 1941. However, the onset of World War II saw male enrollment drop, while the attendance of women rose. It was named for Harry Grant Manchester, an 1891 graduate of Storrs Agricultural School, who became president of the Alumni Association and later served as an alumni trustee and chairman of the Board of Trustees. It is now used as an academic building. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

SpragueHallUniversityOfConnecticut_1942-50

Sprague Hall, a three-story brick dormitory for women, opened in 1941. It was named for M. Estella Sprague, who joined the college as a faculty member in 1917 and later became dean of the Division of Home Economics and dean of women from 1920 to 1926. She was also the first female extension worker in Connecticut. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

New dorms, Agronomy field

Construction of new dorms in 1947. Many residential buildings of this period were hastily constructed, owing to a boom in campus enrollment in the post-war years as a result of the GI Bill. A booklet compiled by the Department of Residential Life notes that the need for cheap, fast construction led to the creation of some of the more unattractive buildings on the UConn campus, as was true across most American campuses. Some refer to this era as the 'ugly' period. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

NorthCampusLot

The eleven dormitories of North Campus opened in 1948, to accommodate the surge of students in the post-World War II years. The nickname 'The Jungle' is said to have come about because they were overcrowded and noisy. For many years, the North Campus dorms were reserved for freshmen. Eight of the dorms were named for the counties of Connecticut, and the other three for former Connecticut governors. (Archives & Special Collections, UConn Library)

South Campus in 1950

The (old) South Campus complex for female students opened in 1950. Its seven buildings housed more than 1,400 students. It was replaced by the new South Campus complex in the 1990s.

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Shippee Hall opened in 1962, as part of a wave of construction in the '60s and '70s to accommodate the postwar baby boom. It is named for banker Lester Shippee, a former trustee, chairman of the Board from 1953 to 1959, and first president of the UConn Foundation. Legend has it that the dorm was built backwards: apparently, when the foundation was poured, someone had been reading the blueprints upside down just as they were laid out on the hood of a car. (Residential Life/UConn Photo)

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McMahon Hall, opened in 1964, was the first experiment in 'coed living.' Men lived in one tower, women in the others, and they shared a common dining room and lounge. After curfew, however, they were not allowed to mix. (Residential Life/UConn Photo)

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Hilltop Residence Halls opened in 1971, the last residence halls to be constructed at UConn for nearly 30 years. They comprised two eight-story towers housing nearly 350 students each, Ellsworth and Hale, and a dining facility, Putnam Refectory. The buildings were named for three Connecticut men from the Revolutionary and Federal periods. (Residential Life/UConn Photo)

Scenic views of the South Campus dormitory complex.

The new South Campus dormitory complex opened in 1998, one of the first projects completed under the UConn 2000 initiative. The predominant room style was the four-person suite, with two two-bedroom units connected by a large living area and a self-contained bathroom. At the time, it was worthy of mention that the building boasted computer jacks and Internet access for every resident, and air conditioning. South Campus was also the first attempt to create a living-learning environment in one of its buildings, with 'academic clusters' combining students' academic and social lives. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

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Husky Village opened in 2003. The circular complex of seven buildings was built to house 300 members of the University's Greek community. (Residential Life/UConn Photo)

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Charter Oak Apartments opened in 2003, as part of a seven-building combination of student apartments and suites. The suites have since been renamed Busby Suites. (Residential Life/UConn Photo)

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NextGen Hall, a new 727-bed residence hall, is the first building completed under the Next Generation Connecticut initiative to expand UConn’s programs in science and technology, increase enrollment, and help build Connecticut’s future workforce. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Sources: Various articles by Mark J. Roy and Richard Veilleux from the UConn Advance
Connecticut Agricultural College – A History, by Walter Stemmons (1931)
What’s in a Name? A Fact Book About Residence Halls at UConn, by Carmen L. Vance (1998)
University of Connecticut, by Mark J. Roy (2001)
Red Brick in the Land of Steady Habits: Creating the University of Connecticut, 1881-2006, by Bruce M. Stave (2006)