Archive dive into the dorms

Archive dive into the dorms

Ariona Imel, Staff Writer

The dorms are scattered all across North Greenville’s campus; the old brick may make one wonder if these buildings have always been here. One of the exciting things about staying on campus is having the opportunity of choosing one of the many dorms. Freshmen don’t get first pick, but they do get to choose their roommate. Most of the dormitories on campus were a gift, and because of that, their names are from those who gifted them.

White Hall is one of the oldest buildings on North Greenville’s campus. Back in 1936, White Hall’s original name was North Hall. It was renamed White Hall in 1952; it was used as one of the girl’s dormitories. The cost to build the dorm was around $20,000, definitely cheaper than what it would cost today.

In 1923, they built three cottages for the married students that attend the university. In 1926 they added two more cottages, and in 1941, they added two more for seven total. They were placed in a sparsely wooded area on the corner of the campus. These cottages were built through charitable donations from families and churches.

An unnamed girl’s dormitory was built in 1906, and in 1916, it burned down and was replaced with a building called South (Wingo) Hall.

 In 1960, Lawton Hall was built. This was one of the men’s dormitories. The hall had a motel-like layout; the facility was named in memory of Dr. Sam Lawton, former dean of instruction at North Greenville.

In 1963, Howard Hall was built. This residence hall had additional rooms added to it in 1995. The old science building at the time was torn down and demolished for added space for this hall.

 Named after the former principal of the academy, L. K. Simpson, Simpson Hall was built in 1962.

Built in 1970, Bruce Hall was built as a men’s residence hall. It housed about 112 residents and was named after Charles V. Bruce. Charles V. Bruce was the business manager at North Greenville for 22 years.

Taylor Hall was built in 1921; it was named in honor of Essie Taylor. This hall used to be the old men’s dormitory. For a semester, women occupied this hall until the completion of Simpson Hall.

Crusader Court was built in 2004, in honor of A. Lynn and Elizabeth T. King. This residence consists of 22 duplexes that were used for student housing. In 2007, a laundry unit was installed for students. Members of First Baptist Church in SImpsonville built a duplex, and a member of the church donated the building supplies.