International Hall
International Hall was the first new dormitory constructed after the tripod of dorms (Lakeside, Massasoit, Reed) were constructed during the 1950s. The target completion date for the dorm was September 15th, 1964 and the ground breaking ceremony was held a little over a year earlier on July 15th, 1963 at 10am.
The eight-story high rise housed 307 students and cost $1,137,000 dollars. By the time of its completion 1200 out of Springfield’s 1600 full-time students lived on campus. The eighth floor, which is now a large lounge, was originally a classroom. The dormitory was officially dedicated on October 17, 1964 during homecoming weekend.
On June 1, 2011, a category EF3 tornado hit the city of Springfield, Massachusetts and caused severe damage to Springfield College’s campus. International Hall, which was hit dead on, sustained the greatest amount of damage. The tornado shattered every window, tore all the internal doors from their hinges, jostled the furniture and blew dozens of mattresses into the lake. The entire building was renovated and repaired within twelve weeks, in time for students to move in, a task which could have taken at least a year. The tornado tore up trees for a quarter mile along the shore of Massasoit Lake and today students on the eighth floor can see out over the lake and into the city.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
This collection documents the planning and construction of International Hall. The collection includes general information about the hall, floor plans, news articles, news releases (primarily on the dedication of the new residence hall), and photographs. The bulk of the collection is the photographs. Of particular interest are the planning materials. These are some of the original planning documents, inter-office memorandums and letters that discuss the decisions made regarding the construction (heating, materials used, electrical considerations, among many others) of the dormitory, including some from Springfield College’s president, Glenn Olds. There is also a list of materials in the cornerstone and photographs of President Glenn Olds speaking at the dedication ceremony.
