History

Housing history

The University of Georgia has housed students on campus since 1806. The first building on campus, Old College, which was modeled after Connecticut Hall at Yale University, served as a residence hall and classroom area for UGA’s very first students. This was 21 years after the University of Georgia was founded.

Josiah Meigs, UGA’s first president, was quoted as saying that there were no finer accommodations for students in the land than at the University of Georgia (Augusta Chronicle). We hold ourselves to the expectations of our campus founding fathers to this day.

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The University of Georgia is Founded

The University of Georgia is founded in 1785 as the United States’ first state-chartered university.

Read more 1785
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Old College Opens

Old College, the first permanent structure on campus, opens with classroom, dining and dormitory space with rent set at $1 per quarter. In fitting tribute to Benjamin Franklin, the neglected namesake of the building, the current tenant is the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

1806
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New College Opens

New College opens as a mix of dormitory, library and classroom building.

1823
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Building Fire

New College burns to the ground – the first building fire in the City of Athens. It is rebuilt two years later.

1830
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Live On Campus

The first campus live-on requirement is instituted by UGA’s President.

1850
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Cheap Living

Room and board starts at $114 per year.

1860
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Civil War Shutdown

The university closes because of the Civil War. Campus buildings are utilized for Confederate soldiers, Union prisoners and civilian refugees.

1863
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Welcome Back

The University of Georgia reopens.

1866
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Rent Free!

Old College has deteriorated so badly students are allowed to live rent free.

1893
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Candler Hall

Candler Hall is constructed as a male dormitory and is now home to the School of Public and International Affairs. Candler Hall sits on historic Herty Field, location of the University of Georgia’s first football game (a win over Mercer) in 1892.

1902
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Lumpkin House

The descendants of Gov. Lumpkin donated to UGA a sizable portion of land south of the ravine in which Sanford Stadium now sits. Among the conditions of the donation was the provision that the Lumpkin House—used as a men’s dormitory until 1932—remain intact at its current location in perpetuity. Any attempt to remove or demolish the house will result in a large section of today’s South Campus being returned to the heirs of the Lumpkin family.

1907
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Old College Saved

Old College narrowly avoids scheduled demolition when $10,000 is raised for refurbishment.

1908
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Soule Hall

Soule Hall opens to become the first residence hall for females on campus. Originally there was a swimming pool in the basement and its east balcony overlooked an amphitheater, now occupied by the Boyd Graduate Building and the Science Library.

1920
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Milledge Hall

Milledge Hall opens to house students. It is now home to the Division of Academic Enhancement and Tutorial Services.

1921
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Camp Wilkins

Camp Wilkins is constructed by Forestry Students. A 30’x12’ cabin stood near the site of Lake Herrick until 1956.

1924
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Memorial Hall

Memorial Hall opens after nearly 15 years of intermittent construction to house male students, the athletic department, meeting and event space, and dining. It is now home to the Division of Student Affairs, of which University Housing is a part.

1925
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Mary Lyndon Hall

Mary Lyndon Hall is built as a “homey” 18th century-style home to accommodate females.

1937
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Rutherford Hall

Rutherford Hall opens as the third all-female residence hall. It is torn down in 2012, but the new hall incorporates elements of the old, such as carriage lights, ironwork and original fireplace mantles.

1939
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Payne Hall

Milledge Annex, now known as Payne Hall, opens. It was completely rennovated during the summer of 2006.

1940
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Vet and Ag Halls

Fain, Dudley and Griggs Halls open to male veterinary and agriculture students.

1942
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Enrollment Increases

Boom Town – A mix of trailers and prefabricated bungalows are set up on Ag Hill to accommodate the tremendous increase in enrollment.

1946
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Myers Hall

Myers Hall opens.

1953
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Reed Hall

Reed Hall opens.

1953
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Morris Hall

Morris Hall opens to graduate and law students. Currently, it is home to males and females first-year students.

1957
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The Lower Five

Boggs, Church, Hill, Lipscomb and Mell (known as the lower five because of their position at the bottom of Baxter) and Tucker Halls open.

1961
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Desegregation

Charlayne Hunter becomes the first African American student to live on campus (Myers Hall).

1961
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University Housing Opens

University Housing officially begins operating as a department. Creswell Hall opens UGA’s first high-rise residence hall.

1963
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University Village

University Village construction begins and buildings open incrementally.

1964
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Brumby Hall

Brumby Hall opens as a “luxury” residence hall for females. Brumby remained all-female until 2013.

1966
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Russell Opens

Russell Hall opens.

1967
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McWhorter Hall

The original McWhorter Hall opens to house student athletes. It was torn down in 2005, and a new residence hall now bears its name.

1967
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Curfew Abolished

The curfew for females is abolished. Currently, there is no curfew for residents but two different visitation designations are available, depending on hall.

1968
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Rogers Road

Rogers Road apartments open to house graduate students and families.

1973
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Oglethorpe House

University Housing acquires Oglethorpe House and pool, built in 1965. The pool was later filled in to accommodate the expansion of Oglethorpe Dining Commons.

1979
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Secure Access

Security card access system is installed in residence halls.

1986
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Brandon Oaks

University Housing acquires Brandon Oaks apartments, now a part of University Village Housing.

1994
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Smoking Banned

Smoking is banned in residence halls. In 2014, all tobacco use is banned on UGA’s campus.

2000
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Live-On Requirement Instituted

The University of Georgia institutes a first-year live-on requirement for freshmen.

Read more 2004
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East Campus Village

East Campus Village (Busbee, McWhorter, Rooker and Vandiver) opens with apartment-style housing geared towards non-first-year students..

2004
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Building 1516

Building 1516 opens as the first LEED-Certified Gold residence hall on campus.

2010
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Health Sciences Campus

The closure of the U.S. Navy Supply Corps School paved the way for UGA to convert the historic site into the UGA Health Sciences Campus. University Housing converted Brown Hall into a residence hall and several townhomes into housing for students on the newly named Health Sciences Campus.

2012
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Rutherford Hall

New Rutherford hall opens.

2013
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Russell Hall Renovation

Russell Hall opens after a 15-month renovation with increased privacy in community bathrooms, in-room temperature control and a complete update of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

2018
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Brumby Hall Renovation

Similar to Russell Hall, Brumby’s renovation includes increased bathroom privacy, in-room temperature control and increased community space while maintaining the historic rotunda as a place where students gather and socialize.

2020
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Black-Diallo-Miller Hall

Named for the first three Black students to enroll as freshmen and complete their degrees at UGA, Black-Diallo-Miller Hall is built to house first-year students in double-occupancy rooms.

2022