Peabody Drive Residence Halls

By 1959, bids had been submitted for the construction of a new men's residence complex "in the southeast area of the former Parade Grounds". The complex was to consist of "three housing units and a dining hall, for 1,494 undergraduate students" and was to be constructed by Kuhne-Simmons Company, Inc, for $5,246,231, with "two of the three buildings completed by September 1960", in time for the fall semester. While the financing of the new complex was completed, the Board authorized the construction crews to begin work on the new buildings "up to a cost of $105,000 prior to October 31". [1]

The Peabody Drive Residence Halls opened in 1961 at a cost of $6.9M. Although today the complex features coed floors, [2] when it opened, its 1,485 [3] rooms were reserved strictly for unmarried undergraduate men. [4] The street after which the complex is named honors Regent Selim Hobart Peabody, who served from 1880 to 1891.

There are three buildings in the Peabody Drive Residence Halls: Scott Hall, Synder Hall, and Weston Hall. Scott Hall derives is name from Franklin Scott who developed the journalism curriculum at the University and served as a Professor of English from 1901 to 1925. Captain [5] Edward Snyder, who served as the Dean of the College of Literature and as a German professor from 1868 [6] until his resignation in May of 1896, [7] is the namesake of Snyder Hall. Captain Synder was also the first head of the Department of Commercial Science and Art upon the University's opening in 1868 [8] and was known as "a gallant Union soldier and exact disciplinarian". From the founding of the University Battalion, Captain Synder was also its commander and he led the Department of Military Science. [9] Weston Hall is named after Nathan Weston, the first Dean of the College of Commerce and Business Administration, and an economics professor for nearly 30 years. [10]

Bronze plaques once hung in the lobbies of the three buildings, with text written by Calvin S. Sifferd, who served as the Director of Counseling for the residence halls, retiring September 1967. He wrote the text, which was approved by the Secretary of the Board of Trustees A. J. Janata and reviewed by an editor of the University Press, before being cast into bronze and hung in the three buildings. [11]

By 1961 the Fourth Street Halls were women's dormitories and the women ate at the Gregory and Peabody Drive dining halls on weekends, when their own dining halls were closed. "Language tables" were also set up on Mondays through Thursdays, with tables dedicated for conversation in a particular language, such as Spanish or French. [12]

Dick Butkus actually lived in room 436 in Scott Hall and Synder III between 1962 and 1963. [13]