Here on campus, we are blessed to have so many wonderful buildings that are used for a number of different things. Many of these wonderful buildings on campus include all of the dormitories and apartments that students have the opportunity to stay in while they complete their education here at NW. One of these many dorms has a rich history of how it came to be. This dorm has had many different purposes over the years, and is now known as Hospers Hall. Hospers Hall has gone through several name changes, to say the least, and has served a variety of uses other than just as a dormitory.
Hospers hall had a variety of differences when it was first built compared to how it is now. First of all, it was not called Hospers. It was known as the Union Dorm, which was originally a girl’s dormitory, and it wasn’t just a dorm. The first floor was designed with a snack bar which was said to have included French fries, sundaes, and even chili. The plans also included a bookstore, lounge areas, student meeting rooms, and student offices. It was truly a multipurpose building. Plans for the Union were made in 1963 and were estimated to cost $400,000 to build and would house up to 85 girls. It was then finished in and dedicated on October 28th, 1965.
In 1980, the decision was made to change the name from the Union Dorm to Hospers Hall. Henry Hospers was a very important man in the area when Northwestern was just starting out. Hospers donated much of the land on which NW is now located. Around two acres were donated to the college. He was also on the very first board of trustees for NW, and he was chosen to be the treasurer. This was one of the many reasons that the name Hospers Hall was chosen to replace the old Union Dorm. The name change was officially made on May 10th, 1980, during the Heritage Day of the Honor Roll. With this act, the dormitory was officially renamed to what we all know it is today as Hospers Hall.
This arrangement of dorms stayed this way for a while on campus with Stegenga Hall, Fern-Smith Hall, and Hospers Hall being the women’s dorms. Campus also had Colenbrander Hall, West Hall, and North Suites as men’s dorms. Along with the dorms were the Courtyard and Bolks apartments as living options as well. This was then changed when it was decided that Hospers Hall would become a men’s dormitory instead of a women’s dormitory in the spring semester of 2014. In the fall semester of 2014 the switch officially occurred and Hospers Hall had its first official start as a men’s dorm.
Now, Hospers Hall has been a men’s dorm for about 11 years. In that amount of time, Hospers Hall has grown to have a culture of its own. There are many traditions that have come to be such as the always looked-forward to events such as Hospers Coffee House and the Cardboard Duct Tape battle that occurs every spring. Every dorm has its history, and NW’s Hospers Hall truly has a legacy that is one to remember.
