Student housing: then and now

Editor's note: This is the first in a four-part series about the past, present and future of UA student housing. This story examines the growth of housing on campus from the University's modest quarters at the time of its founding to the rise of the campus' sprawling residence halls.

On Oct. 9, 1830, the Huntsville Southern Advocate announced the completion of the first phase of buildings for the soon-to-open University of Alabama.

The first seven buildings included a small library and meeting hall, a classroom building with a lab, a small hotel and faculty housing.

On both the east and west edges of the University, however, sat two more buildings.

The Southern Advocate called the two buildings "plain, but durable." The two buildings were 100 feet long and less than 40 feet wide.

They were divided into 12 separate living spaces, each containing a small living room with a fireplace and two bedrooms. They had 36 different rooms and could house 48 students.

They were named Franklin Hall and Washington Hall, and they were the beginning of student housing at the Capstone.

The University could house just 96 students when it opened in 1831. But when the 2008 fall semester begins, on-campus bed spaces will total more than 6,000 - with nearly 1,000 more on their way with the construction of Ridgecrest South.

Though campus housing has grown considerably over the University's 176-year history, demand for it has always managed to stay higher. What started as two buildings has grown into more than 20 residence halls, made up of dormitories, apartments and high-rises.

The University has seen its share of changes, and so has on-campus housing.

Antebellum days and a military institution

The University built two more dormitories after it opened and had plans to build two more. The second two buildings sat next to the first set, but were a little larger.

Students were charged a $30 fee, covering tuition, lodging and the use of campus study rooms. However, students provided their own beds and furniture.

But between 1831 and 1860, the University had trouble attracting students due to high admissions standards. And, on several occasions, papers around the state reported incidents at the University due to rowdy and drunken students, rebellions on campus and stories of the overall weakness of the administration.

The newspapers deemed the University a failure.

In response, UA President Landon Garland turned the University into a military institution. After the Civil War broke out, the University was revived.

After the University was burned down by Union troops in the Civil War, Garland saw the need to save the institution and immediately ordered building supplies. Although the state and the University were broke, a building to house students was finished in the early 1870s.

Woods Hall, or "the barracks," became the focal point of the University, which was still a military institution. The University remained a military institution until the early 1900s.

During that time, several on-campus housing facilities existed. Woods Hall was the largest, and the others were much like houses.

The first women's dorm on campus came in 1898, when Julia Tutwiler requested one of the men's dorms be converted. The building became known as the Tutwiler Annex.

Growth and a new generation

In 1912, George H. Denny became president of the University. His push for growth and success of the University worked in many ways.

During his time as president and chancellor, student enrollment grew from 400 to 5,000, and many of the major academic buildings were built, including Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library and most of the buildings around the Quad.

With increased enrollment came the need for more student housing. The University was divided into two campuses - a men's and a women's. Most of the dorms built under Denny have since been torn down.

A new Tutwiler Hall, which was expanded twice during Denny's tenure, was located where Rose Administration is today and replaced the Tutwiler Annex.

Harris Hall, a women's dorm, was built next to Tutwiler in the 1930s and is one of the few still standing from those days.

Six men's dormitories were built during Denny's tenure, as well.

John Pradat, a 1949 graduate, lived in Gorgas Hall, a men's dorm built on old fraternity row to blend in with the fraternity houses.

Pradat said he lived there all four years he attended the University. It was a popular place to live, he said.

"It was right in the middle of everything," Pradat said. "The rooms weren't fancy by any means. But, you had a shower down the hall, and you had everything you needed in those days. It was comfortable. It got the job done."

Pradat said he remembers paying $15 a month to live in Gorgas Hall, and his room had bunk beds and two desks.

Pradat said Pug's, a popular restaurant on the Strip, was just down the street.

"Everybody loved Pug's," he said. "I think that was one of the best things about living in Gorgas. I'll tell you what, though, we didn't have any air conditioning. You just had to open the windows and hope some cool air came in."

During World War II, University enrollment dropped drastically, but on-campus housing living was still popular. The University became a sort of military institution again, and housed soldiers during training.

After the war, UA President Raymond Paty asked the federal government for temporary housing for veterans and their families. The result was trailer-like housing, known as the Riverside, Ridgecrest and Alavet apartments, scattered along the north side of campus.

Post-war expansion to present day

During President John Gallalee's tenure, the University growth shot up again.

Nine dormitories were added to keep up with post-war enrollment. By the 1960s, several dorms were built that are still used today.

Another Tutwiler Hall was constructed on campus, a 13-story residence for women. Also, the 13-story Rose Towers was built to accommodate married students.

Paty Hall was added as a men's dorm, and Parham and Burke halls were built for women.

MarLa Sayers, a 1959 graduate, is no stranger to living on campus.

She lived at home her freshman year, but lived in Harris Hall, New Hall and her sorority house for the next three years. She made her way back to campus in the 1980s when her husband, Roger Sayers, was named president of the University.

Sayers said living on campus was practical for her. She was involved in on a lot of on campus activities and liked to stay in and study during the day.

"It was very pleasant," she said. "We felt safe on campus, and it felt like a second home in a lot of ways. We all knew each other well because we lived together. When I lived on campus I felt like I was a bigger part of the University."

She said when girls went out at night, they had to be back to their rooms by 11 p.m.

"We had fun but we got our work done too," she said. "We studied a lot but we went out at night and enjoyed ourselves."

From the 1960s, no new residence halls were built until 2000, when the Blount Undergraduate Initiative building was built.

UA President Robert Witt's goal to bring enrollment to 28,000 students, however, has spurred another period of growth for on-campus housing.

On the far north end of campus, buildings began coming up months after their construction started.

The falls of 2005, 2006 and 2007 began with the opening of new complexes on the north side of campus, replacing an area once dominated by grassy fields and a small pond. A policy mandating all freshmen live on campus was implemented in the fall of 2006.

Fall of 2008 will be the first time in three years a new housing complex isn't being opened to students. But fall of 2009 will mark the opening of Ridgecrest South, the last building of the complex.