Fall, 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of Currier Residence Hall. I asked Amanda Cavazos, Marketing Specialist for University Housing & Dining, about the history of Currier Hall.

Give me a brief history of Currier Hall.

Currier Hall is located on North Clinton Street, three blocks from the Pentacrest. Currier is named for Amos Noyes Currier who was Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Iowa and for his wife Celia Moore Currier, who was a Latin instructor. Currier was the university’s first residence hall. It was built to address the shortage of housing for female students on campus. The original section of the building was built in 1914 at a cost just over $150,000. The original building was just the southeast portion of the current facility, and it was home to about 150 women. Sections were added to the dormitory in 1927, 1939, and 1949. (In 1965, a 10-story addition was planned to the west—that project became Stanley Hall.)

Today, Currier houses 660 students and boasts a fitness center, multi-purpose room complete with a performance stage, and a formal lounge with a baby grand piano.

Historically, what features of Currier Hall stood out from others on campus?

Throughout the years, residents enjoyed a beauty parlor, a soda fountain, and their own dining hall where formal evening meals were served daily (before which they would sing grace).

Was there any sort of celebration for this monumental occasion?

To kick off the celebration, several students dressed in costumes from the decades and marched in the annual Homecoming Parade. Family members of the late Amos and Celia Currier, whom the residence hall is named after, were invited to view the Homecoming Parade from the VIP area.

The celebration continued November 9-November 13, 2014, with events nightly in the Van Oel Multi-purpose Room. A variety of events such as an ice cream social, fireside chat, bingo night, a sock hop dance and final celebration to toast Currier’s vibrant history were celebrated by students, faculty, staff and the general public.