Lakeside Hall
On April 30th, 1960 the trustees authorized construction of a new dormitory for women; the construction was part of a one million dollar package that also included a science building and a dining hall. Lakeside Hall was scheduled for completion on or by September 1st, 1961, but by June almost all of the work was done; all that was left to do was the interior painting.
On Saturday October 27th, 1961 at 10:30am the building was dedicated. A tea was held after the dedication in Lakeside Lounge in which all of the dormitory’s new residence attended. At the time, the building was one of several new buildings being constructed on campus as part of the College’s new expansion program. The new dormitory held 117 girls, 5 counselors, and Mrs. Gouck, who was the house mother in Abbey Hall for several years prior.
For the next three years Lakeside Hall was used as an all-women’s dormitory, until 1964, when it housed only men. Today it houses both upper-class women and men, and even some freshmen boys.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
This collection documents the planning, construction, and use of Lakeside Hall as both a men and women’s dormitory throughout Springfield College history. The collection includes general drawings and proposed models by the architects, floor plans, a few newspaper articles, and photographs of the construction of the dormitory and the completed dormitory. Within the misc. Correspondence there is a single letter that talks about the swap of Reed to Lakeside from a women’s to a men’s dormitory written in 1964.
