Ross Hall postcard

Description:	Originally known as the Mens Residence Hall, this dorm later became coed. Designed by McGuire and Shook, the L-shaped limestone building continued the theme of the other main buildings on campus including Jordan Hall and Atherton Union. The Carl M. Geupel Construction Company served as the general contractor and the final cost of the four story building (basement and three above-ground levels) was approximately $1 million, with an additional $100,000 spent on furnishings. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 1, 1953, and the cornerstone ceremony took place on September 30, 1953. Opening on September 12, 1954, the building could house approximately 280 male students. Although students were already living in the dorm, a public open house was held on Sunday, October 10, 1954, so others could view the new building. Originally, the rooms were filled with custom burn and scratch proof furniture designed by the commercial department of L. S. Ayres and Company and manufactured by the Sligh-Lowry Company. Each double room contained two beds, a nightstand, a dresser, a double desk, a lounge chair, and two lamps. The drapes, rugs, chair coverings, lamps, and bedspreads in each room followed one of eight different color schemes: medium blue, spring green, coral, tan, ivory, beige, gunmetal, and chartreuse. In 1962, construction began on an addition to the residence hall in order to house approximately 250 additional students. Designed by McGuire, Shook, Compton, Richey and Associates (name changed from McGuire and Shook in 1958), the construction of two additional wings on the west and south sides of the building began in March 1962, and they opened in September 1963. When University President M. O. Ross retired in 1962, the board of directors passed a resolution to rename the building after Ross, who served as president from 1942 to 1962. The name of the building was officially changed to Ross Residence Hall in 1963. In the early 1990s, the residence hall was updated with new furniture, upgraded bathrooms and wiring, improved lighting in student rooms, and roof repairs, among other improvements. To the left of the residence hall is the Hudson House, constructed in the 1920s. Circa 1966, the building became the infirmary for the University and was originally staffed by Dr. Joseph E. Dowd and Mary Jane Dailey, chief nurse. Later the house was transformed into the Butler University Police Department (BUPD). Although 1971 has been handwritten on the back of the postcard, it was likely published at an earlier date.
Created By:	Genuine natural color made by Dexter Press, Inc., West Nyack, N. Y.
Publisher:	Pub. by H. Lieber Co., Indianapolis, Ind.
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/2647
Collection:	Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Copyright:	No Copyright - United States
Geography:	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.836445, -86.170068 39.836445 -86.170068
Subjects:	Postcards Dormitories Sidewalks Shrubs Trees Butler University--Buildings College buildings Butler University--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History Ross Residence Hall Mens Residence Hall Bushes Fairview campus

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