University Hall

Date of Commission: 1875

Date of Occupancy: 1876

Other Dates in Building's History:

1875: "... the friends of the College have subscribed the entire stock of a Hotel Company, the Hotel to be situated in a position where students can take advantage of it without going too far from their rooms ..." (TM, 28 June 1875)

1883: Terms will be set so that Hotel building can be used as a dormitory. (TM, 8 Feb 1883) 19 June 1883: Letter from William Libbey, Sr., owner of University Hotel, stating he would sell hotel to the university for $100,000.

18 June 1883: Trustees shut down hotel operation.

Feb 1884: Hotel becomes property of university.

March 1884: University Hall is now an "ordinary dormitory". (Princetonian, 14 Mar 1884)

1906: Hall becomes the freshmen commons.

1908: Hall becomes the sophomore commons.

1914: University Hall must come down. Mrs. Russell Sage offered $100,000 for a new commons. (PAW, 8 Apr 1914)

1916: University Hall demolished. (PAW, 14 June 1916)

Architect(s): William Appleton Potter ; Robert Henderson Robertson

Donor(s): University Hotel Company

Materials: Brick; Brownstone; Stone

Function: Commons; Dormitory; Hotel