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

Castilian Hall closes in June 2011

Pierce Hall and Thille Hall close in June 2011

Baggins End closes in June 2011

2012

Baggins End is renovated and reopens under Solar Community Housing Association management

2014

Leach Hall closes in June 2014 for redevelopment

New residence halls Pine Hall, Scrub Oak Hall, Currant Hall, Live Oak Hall, Sequoia Hall, Mahogany Hall, and Hawthorn Hall open in the Tercero Area ("Tercero Phase 3" project), built at the Pierce Hall and Thille Hall site

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

New residence halls Cottonwood Hall, Madrone Hall, Olive Hall and Redwood Hall open in the Tercero Area ("Tercero Phase 4" project) in September 2017, built at the Leach Hall site

2019

Emerson Hall scheduled to close after June 2019 for redevelopment

Yosemite Hall, built at the former site of Webster Hall, opened in September 2019 for fall quarter

2020

Phase 1 of The Green at West Village opened in September 2020 for fall quarter

2021

Phase 2 of The Green at West Village opened in September 2021 for fall quarter

2021

Shasta Hall, built at the former site of Emerson Hall, opened in September 2021 for fall quarter

2023

Orchard Park, developed at the site of the original Orchard Park community, scheduled to open in September 2023 for fall quarter

2024-

To be continued...