Ladies Hall (1st)

Date

1835-1865

Location

West College Street between Professor and Main Streets

Architects/Collaborators

Oberlin College students

Style

Colonial

History

The first College building for women's lodging, called Ladies Hall, was completed in 1835. It stood on the south side of West College Street between Professor and Main Streets. It was a frame building of three stories, with two wings extending toward the south. The greater part of the work of construction was done by students. It accommodated sixty women students. For a year or two after it was built the third story was used as a dormitory for men, and the west flight of stairs was for their use. Later the entire building was used for the accommodation of women. In addition to the thirty-four rooms for lodging and study, the first Ladies Hall included accommodations for the Steward's Department, a dining hall seating two hundred, and a reading room for young women. Two literary societies made use of the assembly room on the second floor. The first Ladies Hall stood until the completion of the second Hall, in 1865, when it was divided into five dwelling houses and moved into various parts of the village.

Source

Oberlin College Archives, Office of the Secretary Records.