McCormick Road Dormitories

The McCormick Road Dormitories (generally referred to as Old Dorms) are first-year living dormitories at the University of Virginia. Ten houses make up the residence area located on McCormick Road. The dormitory area was constructed in 1950 and can hold nearly 1300 students. It is the closest living area to Central Grounds for first-year students.

History

Until the mid 1940s, a golf course was located on the land where the McCormick Road Dorms stand. After the passage of the G.I. Bill after World War II, more dormitories were needed as the number of college-bound students greatly increased.^[1] Eggers and Higgins, the architects of these buildings, followed a Georgian revival style that complements other buildings on Grounds, such as Newcomb Hall and New Cabell Hall. The dorms were not completed until three weeks after the start of the 1950 fall semester. The inbound students due to live in the dormitories slept in Memorial Gymnasium until their completion. The residence area was initially designed to house males only. Women were officially allowed to enroll as undergraduate students in 1970, forcing the McCormick Road Dorms to house women as well. WUVA, a University of Virginia radio station, was housed in the basement of Lefevre House until the mid-1990s.^[2]

Organization of Residence Area

There are ten total houses in the McCormick Road Residence Area. Each house is named after a professor who has contributed to the University. The houses are(in alphabetical order):

• Bonnycastle House
• Dabney House
• Echols House (contrary to common misconception, Echols House is not designated for first-year Echols Scholars. Echols scholars live in the Alderman Rd. Residential Area)
• Emmet House
• Hancock House
• Humphreys House
• Kent House
• Lefevre House
• Metcalf House
• Page House^[3]

Except for Bonnycastle and Hancock, which are free-standing buildings, each house is connected to one other house at the corner. This forms four units of “L-shaped” buildings that surround each other, with Bonnycastle and Hancock in the back. The houses are connected as follows: Page and Emmet, Kent and Dabney, Echols and Humphreys, and Lefevre and Metcalf.

Rooms in McCormick Road Dorms are typically double-occupant rooms. Each double occupant room contains two captains beds, two desks, two bookshelves, two chairs and a large closet. Each room contains a radiator, a large window with blinds, but do not provide air conditioning. The dimensions of each double-occupancy room are 16 feet by 12 feet. All of the furniture is movable, but cannot be removed from the room during occupancy. Single-occupancy rooms are located on the edges of the halls and contain a lofted bed, and a desk. Bonnycastle and Hancock rooms are set up differently. Each room contains 2 bunkable beds and 2 built-in closets with drawers. The rooms are the same size as others in the residence area.

There are 11 rooms per hallway, with a Resident Adviser located in the center in their own room, making for a maximum total of up to 22 residents on a hall. Each floor of a house has 2 halls on a maximum of four floors. The houses are co-ed, though men live on the basement and first floors of the building, while women typically live on the second and third floors (Humphreys and Kent are exceptions).

In the basement of Metcalf and Dabney Hall are laundry facilities for the residents. There is a key room located in the basement of the Echols dorm. The Housing office for the University of Virginia is located in the basement of Page and Emmet dorms. Emmet's basement also includes a mailroom. There is a snack bar in the basement of Bonnycastle dorms.

Student Life in McCormick Road Dorms

Student life in these dorms is dominated by association councils. Each set of connected houses elects an Association Council in October that consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary, and representatives from different sections of the building. House Councils are in charge of organizing and planning house events, such as cookouts, Capture the Flag, games of Assassins, end of exam parties.

Often Resident Advisers will plan hall activities, such as dinners, parties, and outings for the hall.

McCormick Road Dorms are conveniently located near to a major bus stop, allowing easy access to the University’s bus system. The Dorms are within walking-distance of most academic buildings in Central Grounds. Located close to McCormick Road Dormitories are Observatory Hill Dining Hall, The Aquatics and Fitness Center, Scotts Stadium, and the University of Virginia Bookstore.^[4]

The Quad

The Quad is a large area in the center of the McCormick Roads Dormitory area that is commonly used for public events. It is a large grassy area that is used for public performances, first-year activities, and other events. Students are seen often seen outside during the warmer times of the academic year studying and socializing.

References

1. ^ "McCormick Road". Student Housing at UVa. http://www.arch.virginia.edu/housinghistory/Grounds/McCormickRoad.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-28. 
2. ^ "WUVA Radio: A Concise History". http://www.wuva-fm.com/WUVAhistory.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-28. 
3. ^ "McCormick Road Area". UVA Web Map. http://www.virginia.edu/webmap/GMcCormickRoadArea.html. Retrieved 2009-04-28. 
4. ^ "McCormick Road Residence Area". University of Virginia Housing Division. http://www.virginia.edu/housing/options.php?id=mccormick&type=fy. Retrieved 2009-04-28.