Hill and Crane Halls

Crane and Hill residency halls were opened in 1962. Crane initially began as a 400 person men’s dormitory, boasting the luxury of personal telephones. Hill played host to the relatively innovative idea of mixed sex residential living, with men occupying the bottom three floors and women residing on the top three. In 1966, however, the dorm would resume full male residency again as girls moved out to Downey Hall.

Both residency halls mirror each other, as depicted in the aerial plan below, presenting the same mid-century modern features. One can note the flat roofed, modular construction, with its earthy color palette – most clearly demonstrated by the tinted spandrel panels. Each with its own sizable parking lot, both halls are decorated with in-built planters and encapsulate Crane-Hill Dining Hall and a green landscaped garden. Almost transparent breezeways, with tinted glass windows, link to the dormitories to the cafeteria. A coursed ashlar pattern stone design highlights the lower floors and end façades. Decorative geometric breeze blocks can also be found in use at the ends of the both buildings. Exposed concrete, aluminum window frames, and covered entrances with aluminum awnings, all adhere to the mid-century style.  One can further note the typical vertical entrance design, which contrasts the characteristically horizontal building.