Homes and Dorms

East College
East College c.1930
East College was opened on November 5, 1836 for the purpose of being a dormitory, classroom, and president's dwelling. The early years were spent quietly apart from the occasional incidents of students rolling logs down the stair for fun and the 1863 occupation of it and Old West by the Confederate Army just before the Battle of Gettysburg. The Presidential arrangements would remain until 1890 when the President's House was established just across West High Street. Extensive renovations were made in 1924 and by 1934 the building was in use solely as a dormitory for 116 people, mainly from the fraternities Phi Epsilon Pi, Sigma Tau Phi, and the Commons Club. 
See Also: 
East College (1860)
East College (1880)
The Presidents House
Presidents House c.1935 Built in 1833 the President's House official became the designated home fo the President and College owned on January 9, 1890 for the cost of $8,000. It would later be enlarged for the cost of $7,000 by a generous gift from William Clare Allision, the same man to donate the funds to equip the old gym with the needed sports euipment. 
 

Faculty Housing
Fink Hall c. 1960 Faculty House "Number 1" was located at the corner of the newly accquired Mooreland track of land at the interesection of West High Street and South College Street. Used in much the same way as Fink Hall was the College owned the western half of the building. Accounts place Professor Francis Waterhouse of Romance Languages living in the facility. No other information can be found on this location. 

Faculty House "Number 2" was more properly known as "Fink Hall" or otherwise 333 West High Street. It became part of the College on December 26, 1900 for the cost of $7,000. The intended purpouse was to house the Headmaster of Conway Hall as Conway was part of the Dickinson Preperatory School and not the College at the time. In 1930 the building had become part of the Campus when the Prep School closed in 1917 and was split into 2 seperate living quaters. These homes were then lent out to College Professors in need of a house. 

 

Conway Hall
Conway Hall c.1925 Conway Hall was completed by early 1902 for the original purpose of being a dormitory for the Dickinson Preperatory School. Because of monetary issues at the time of construction, in particular the emergency money needed to restore the burnt out Denny Hall, Conway Hall was a donated gift from the very prominent Andrew Carneige. In 1917, with the closing of the Dickinson Prep School the College took sole responisibility for the building and turned it into a Freshmen Dormitory. It would further undergo renovations in 1930 to update the facility. The building also contained the College Infirmary and the Athletic Changing Rooms in its basement.
See Also: 
Conway Hall: Dickinson Online Encyclopedia
Conway Hall (1960)

Metzger Hall
Metzger Hall c.1945 Metzger Hall was opened on Septemeber 28, 1881 by George Metzer, Class of 1798 as he Metzger Institute. The small college was originally intended to be a school for young ladies however by 1913 the enrollment was low and the building was leased rent free to Dickinson College to become the girls dormitory. The stipulation for it being free was that it was to remain in use for the ladies of Dickinson College, which was abided by on Dickinson's part. Eventually it would provide dorm rooms, a dining hall, reception areas, a small theater, and a gym for the ladies to use. However its long distance from the campus mad it quite a walk to class and by 1963 the college lost use for the building and it was shortly thereafter torn down.
See Also: 
Metzger College Room, 1888

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Class of 1934     Chronicles

Dickinson College

Dickinson 1934 is a project of Prof. Osborne's History 204 Class, Fall Semester 2000.