Ross Hall as viewed from the northeast

Description:	Ross Hall, the first residence hall on Butler Universitys Fairview campus, the building was originally known as the Mens Residence Hall as rooms were only available to male students (the dorm became coed at a later date). The groundbreaking ceremony occurred on April 1, 1953, while the cornerstone laying ceremony took place on September 30, 1953. The architectural firm McGuire and Shook designed the L-shaped limestone building to continue 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. 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 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 incorporated one of eight different color schemes: medium blue, spring green, coral, tan, ivory, beige, gunmetal, and chartreuse. According to an article about the residence hall in the Fall 1954 issue of The Butler Alumnus, One of the main problems of Residence Hall occupants at the present time is the telephone shortage. Only one telephone has been installed to date, although plans call for four separate lines on each floor. The men are required to keep their own rooms in order, but maid service is obtained once each week. MRH men will make excellent future house-wives too, for the building is equipped with electric irons for their use (p. 4). 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 the 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. To the right of the dorm, a portion of the Sigma Chi Fraternity House is visible. Some text is printed on the bottom right corner of the photograph and there are cropping marks and handwriting along the borders.
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/2657
Collection:	Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Copyright:	In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Geography:	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.836495, -86.168983 39.836495 -86.168983
Subjects:	Dormitories Sigma Chi Fraternity--Rho Chapter (Butler University) Butler University--Buildings College buildings Butler University--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History Ross Residence Hall Mens Residence Hall Fairview campus

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