Guide to the University of Chicago Student Housing Collection 1931-2007


Search this Finding Aid





Table of Contents

• Descriptive Summary
• Information on Use
• Access
• Citation
• Historical Note
• Scope Note
• Related Resources
• Subject Headings
• INVENTORY
• Series I: Administration
• Series II: Brochures and Ephemera

Descriptive Summary

Information on Use

Access

This collection is open for research.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: University of Chicago. Student Housing. Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Historical Note

In 2020, there are seven residential halls for university students: International House, Burton Judson Courts, Snell-Hitchcock Hall, Max Palevsky Residential Commons, Stony Island Hall, North Residential Commons, and Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons. Fourteen previous residential halls, which were either demolished to make space for larger residential halls, converted into apartments, or renovated into offices or academic centers.

Snell-Hitchcock Hall is a combination of residential neo-Gothic buildings located at 1009 E 57th Street. The Snell building was built in 1893 and designed by architect Henry Ives Cobb, and the Hitchcock building was built in 1902 and designed by architect Dwight Heald Perkins.

Burton Judson Courts was built in 1931 by the architectural firm Zantzinger, Borie, & Medary and is located next to the Law School. In 1932, International House was built and designed by the architectural firm Holabird & Root.

Stony Island Hall, also called the 5700 Building, was built in 1988 and is located at 5700 Stony Island Avenue. The building will be closed after the 2019-2020 academic year.

Max Palevsky Residential Commons was built in 2001 and designed by Ricardo Legorreta.

Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons, more commonly referred to as “South”, was built in 2009 and designed by the architectural firm Goody Clancy & Associates, Inc.

North Residential Commons was built in 2016 and designed by the architectural practice Studio Gang. The opening of North replaced Blackstone Hall, Breckinridge Hall, Broadview Hall, Maclean Hall, and New Graduate Residence Hall and was built on the demolished site of Pierce Tower Residence Hall.

Gates-Blake and Goodspeed Halls opened 1892 as the school’s first residential halls and was designed by architect Henry Ives Cobb. Gates-Blake was repurposed into offices in 1960 with the opening of Pierce Tower. Built in 1893, Foster Hall was the first residential hall for women and was converted to offices in 1962. Greenwood Hall was built in 1901 and was a combination of both apartment and dorm units. Closed in 1984, today it is part of the site occupied by South.

Breckinridge Hall was built in 1916 and designed by the architectural firm Schmidt, Garden & Martin. Breckinridge House was moved to International House and the building was closed in 2015.

Broadview Hall was built in 1927 and originally served as a hotel and opened to student housing in 1966. In 2015, with the opening of North Residential Commons, was closed to students and sold as an apartments. Shoreland Hall, another former hotel, was built in 1929 and converted to student housing in 1975. The residence hall was closed during the academic year 2008-2009 and was renovated by private developers into an apartment complex in 2013.

Blackstone Hall was built in 1930 and designed by architect Ralph D. Huszagh.

Woodland Court was built in 1958 and, with the opening of Max Palevsky, was demolished 2001 replaced with the Charles M. Harper Center of Booth School of Business.

Pierce Tower Residence Hall was built in 1960 and designed by the architectural firm Harry Weese & Associates. Pierce Tower was demolished in 2013 and the site was used to construct North Residential Commons. Built in 1962, the New Graduate Residence Hall was designed by architect Edward Durrel Stone. It was closed in the 2015-2016 academic year and was renovated in 2018 into the Keller Center.

Max Mason House opened for undergraduate housing in 1984, then transferred to graduate student housing in the 2000-2001 academic year. With the opening of Max Palevsky Residence Commons, the residence hall was closed after the spring of 2001.

Maclean Hall, previously a church retirement home, was bought by the university in 1991 and was then sold and turned into apartments during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Scope Note

This collection is organized into 2 series:

Series I: Administration

Series II: Brochures

The University of Chicago Student Housing Collection contains housing staff directories, bulletins, reports, proposals and construction plans, housing guides, housing brochures, and miscellaneous invitations and flyers related to student housing options provided through the university.

Related Resources

Subject Headings

• University of Chicago -- Administration
• University of Chicago -- Buildings
• University of Chicago -- History
• University of Chicago -- Student housing
• International House (Chicago, Ill.)

INVENTORY