Federal Hall

Date

1943-1947 (federal government); 1947-1956 (college)

Location

159 Woodland Avenue (demolished)

Architects/Collaborators

U.S. Government

History

At the close of the Second World War, the G.I. Bill enabled scores of discharged servicemen to attend college, swelling the ranks of students across the country. Federal Hall was a temporary housing solution for such students at Oberlin. The building was secured through the Federal Public Housing Administration. It was brought to Oberlin in 1947 from Willow Run Barracks, Michigan, and converted to a dormitory for 202 men. While its official name was Federal Hall, students referred to it as "The Spider." Upon completion of Barrows Hall in the spring of 1956, the men living in Federal Hall were moved and the building emptied. Demolition of Federal Hall was completed in September of that year.

Sources

Oberlin College Archives, Office of the Secretary Records.

Oberlin College Archives, unpublished report on College buildings and projects by Karl Aughenbaugh with photographs by Geoffrey Blodgett, ca. 1953, RG 21 Oberlin File, IV. A. College Miscellany.