Go back in time to find out how these buildings got their names. PHOTO CREDIT: Hannah Charron
Whether it be for mental health or academic reasons, Roosevelt Hall at the University of Rhode Island is a building that is focused on student improvement.
Among many other uses, it is now home to the University College for Academic Success (UCAS), but Roosevelt Hall was originally built to be a women’s dormitory. When Roosevelt Hall was constructed in 1936, its purpose was to replace Davis Hall as housing for women.
“When I first started working here, my sister-in-law was like ‘what building are you in?,’” said Sheila Frank, higher education administrative assistant for the UCAS. “She was like ‘oh my god, that was my sister’s dorm.’”
When the building was a dormitory, there was a house mom who enforced dorm rules, according to Frank. These rules included no male students allowed in the rooms of the females, a strict curfew, and signing in and out with the house mother before leaving the building. Frank said that her office, located in the front of the building, was most likely the room where students would check in with the house mom.
According to Frank, the building was named after Eleanor Roosevelt, the former first lady of the United States. In 1938, she visited the University, then named Rhode Island State College, to dedicate the dormitory.She also said that Elenor Roosevelt also helped plant one of the trees in front of the building at the ceremony.
“One of the deans who works here said they used to have a food co-op out of the basement,” Frank said.“So families would come and get food.”
Frank said that the food from the co-op is believed to have been from local farms.
Outside, at the entrance, is a plaque commemorating when the building first started construction in 1934, according to Frank.
“I love this building, it’s just beautiful,” Linda Moffat, the assistant dean of UCAS, said.
She showed a certificate in the building that was a tribute to Elenor Roosevelt and shares her association with the building.
The building was changed from a dormitory to an office building in the 1960s. The once dorm rooms are now used for many things such as the Department of Writing and Rhetoric and the Department of Psychology offices. The building also currently houses the Undergraduate Writing Center and the URI Counseling Center.
The Evelyn B. Morris Great Room, which is currently used for lectures and classes such as URI 101 due to its large size, is named for Evelyn B. Morris, a former associate dean of students. This was once the only room that male students were allowed into in the building. In it is a framed plaque from when the building was first opened, as well as a large photo of a young Elenor Roosevelt staring over the people in the room, emphasizing the importance she has to the hall.
“I love that picture of Eleanor, it’s just amazing,” said Moffat.
According to Frank, Roosevelt Hall was the first building to be built with brick and not stone, like Davis Hall. It was also one of the three buildings that were built by the Public Works Administration, an administration created during the presidency of Eleanor’s husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, dedicated to construction of things such as schools and hospitals, along with Quinn Hall and Green Hall.
“I love this building, I love being here,” Frank said. “You look at the new buildings, and they’re great, don’t get me wrong, but they don’t have the [same] history in all their doors and all their hallways.”