Past, Present and Future - A Century of Student Housing
Early University Years: 1905 - 1920
1905
Davis is established as a research campus
1908
First Davis students attend classes in October
North Dormitory (North Hall) opens
1909
University Farm School opens in January
1912
South Dormitory (South Hall) opens; South Dormitory eventually becomes a women's residence hall
1914
West Dormitory (West Hall) opens
Some of the Tri-Coooperative houses built in downtown Davis (they are relocated to campus in 1951 and become cooperative housing in 1972)
University Housing Expansion: 1921 - 1964
1923
Remaining Tri-Coooperative houses built in downtown Davis (they are relocated to campus in 1951 and become cooperative housing in 1972)
1938
View of Davis campus in 1938 (click photo to enlarge and see building names)
1947
Ash Hall, Birch Hall, and Cedar Hall, buildings moved from Benicia to Davis, open; they are located on the site now occupied by the Marya Welch Tennis Center, immediately west of the North Entry Parking Structure; Ash is home to about 40 graduate men, and Birch and Cedar are each home to about 40 freshmen women
Hayes and Deck Houses - originally large homes - are utilized
Aggie Villa, originally units from a millitary housing project, are relocated to Davis at what is now 1st and B Street, and opens to married students
1951
Beckett Hall and Hughes Hall open; they each house 203 men; these are the first university-built, on-campus residence halls in the entire UC system
West Hall razed to in order to build the Memorial Union
Tri-Cooperative houses relocated to campus
Note: the naming of Beckett Hall and Hughes Hall marks the beginning of the tradition of faculty committees naming or renaming campus buildings after persons who have made considerable contributions to UC Davis (Windows of the Past, 2000)
1954
Struve Hall opens; it houses 205 women; later it houses men
Hughes Hall becomes a women's residence hall
1959
UC Davis designated as a general campus
Titus Hall opens; it houses 203 women; together with Beckett, Hughes and Struve, group is known as 'Primero Halls'
1960
Bixby Hall, Gilmore Hall, and Malcolm Hall open; Bixby houses 205 men, and Gilmore and Malcolm house 205 women
1961
South Hall converted from residence hall to office use
Room and board is $840 for the year
1963
Ryerson Hall opens; it houses 205 men
1964
North Hall converted from residence hall to office use
Solano Park opens; 275 units are occupied by families; Solano Park is the first family dwelling to be constructed with U.S. Housing and Home Finance Agency funds
Orchard Park opens; its 200 units are furnished by the university and occupied by both single students and families
Regan Hall opens; it is comprised of seven buildings housing 60 students each; they are subsequently named Campo, Indio, Nova, Paloma, Rienda, Sereno, and Talara
Early Student Housing Years: 1965 - 1978
1965
First Director of Housing appointed; previously, the Dean of Men and the Dean of Women were responsible for housing
Educational Program Advisor is hired
Emerson Hall, Thoreau Hall, Webster Hall, and Oxford Circle Dining Commons open; these halls are privately operated in partnership with UC Davis
1966
UC Davis becomes first school of its size to go to contract housing
1967
Pierce Hall and Thille Hall open; each hall is comprised of 6 buildings housing about 70 students each; they are named G, H, J, K, L, M and A, B, C, D, E, F respectively
Aggie Villa decommissioned; interim halls are used while Ash, Birch, Cedar and Aggie Villa are razed
1968
Russia House is started
Community Housing Office opens
1969
Regan Hall opens as a co-educational residence hall; it is the first co-ed residence hall
Malcolm Hall is host to a new living-learning program
Castilian Hall opens; it is privately operated in partnership with UC Davis
1970
Lysle Leach Hall opens; it houses 180 graduate students; Leach Hall is a series of six buildings, named A, B, C, D, E, and F, comprised entirely of single-occupancy units
Malcolm Hall becomes a co-ed residence hall
1972
Housing crisis: shortage of on- and off-campus housing
Improved maintenance and physical facilities program begins
Baggins End, a progressive cooperative living environment, opens
The Tri-Cooperatives open
Aggie Villa razing completed
1973-1974
Housing reorganization; extensive reorganization of off-campus housing office
1975
AIRE Center opens
1976
East Hall, a former Dining Hall and Infirmary, is demolished
Thirty Years of Growth: 1979 - 2008
1979
Student Housing opens its administration building just south of Regan Hall
1985
Russell Park opens
1986
Student Housing purchases Emerson Hall, Thoreau Hall, Webster Hall, Castilian Hall, and Oxford Circle Dining Commons
LaRue Park opens
1989
Thoreau Hall opens after redevelopment
Oxford Circle Dining Commons reopens after conversion
1992
Student Housing expands administration building; opens 'south wing', adding space for new services and two new multi-function conference rooms
1994
Tercero Dining Commons reopens after renovation
1997
Primero area halls (Beckett, Hughes, Struve, and Titus Halls) razed
1999
Primero Grove opens; it is built on land previously occupied by Primero, and is privately owned and operated
Leach Hall houses both undergraduate and graduate students
Resident Directors become Community Development Coordinators (CDCs) in all housing areas
2000
Residential Education (REO) rolls out new function-specific "Coordinator" model in Segundo and Tercero; Community Development Coordinators (CDCs) become Academic, Leadership and Conduct Coordinators
2001
The Colleges at LaRue opens; it is privately owned and operated
Residential Education (REO) rolls out new "Coordinator" model in Cuarto; there are no more RDs and CDCs in the residence halls
2003
Alder Hall, Miller Hall, and Thompson Hall open
2005
Kearney Hall and Laben Hall open
Segundo Dining Commons opens a new state-of-the-art facility with a Culinary Support Center (a State of the Art Cook/Chill production kitchen), replacing the existing dining commons; it features a platform dining style
2006
Tercero Dining Commons reopens after a major renovation; the new DC matches the Segundo DC's platform dining and relies on its Culinary Support Center
Expansion - The Next Fifteen Years: 2009-2023
2010
New residence halls Wall Hall, Cambell Hall and Potter Hall open in the Tercero Area ("Tercero Phase 2" project)
Oxford Circle Dining Commons, renamed Cuarto Dining Commons, opens after an extensive remodel
Castilian Dining Commons closes in June 2010
2011
Segundo Services Center opens in September
Bixby Hall, Gilmore Hall, Malcolm Hall and Ryerson Hall reopen after completion of major renovation
8th & Wake opens at the former site of Castilian Hall
2015
Orchard Park closes in August 2015 for redevelopment
2017
Student Housing becomes Student Housing and Dining Services in February 2017
Student Housing and Dining Services assumes responsibility in July 2017 for campus dining operations (except for the CoHo, which is run by ASUCD) following a 40+ year partnership with Sodexo and Marriott
Webster Hall closes in June 2017 for redevelopment
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