Shreve Hall

Shreve Hall originally opened the fall semester of the 1970 academic year. Named for Eleanor Burns Shreve and her husband Randolph Norris Shreve, former Purdue University faculty, Shreve was the first residence hall at Purdue designed to be co-educational, although Shreve was originally built for the purpose of adding a new Women’s hall to Purdue. When built, Shreve Hall was the fourth largest residence hall on the west side of Purdue’s campus.

The Design

From the outside Shreve Hall was built to resemble the three other eight story residence halls already located at Purdue University, but the inside contains the best of each residence hall at Purdue. Shreve Hall was built to house 864 residents with 54 residents on each floor. Being designed to be a women’s hall Shreve was built with a kitchenette and a drip-dry room, a place where residents can hang wet clothes that cannot be dried, on every floor. Each floor was also designed to have a study room on every floor. Shreve was also built with many other amenities the other halls lacked. Shreve was built with a stag lounge on the first floor of both wings to be used for studying or social gatherings; the hall was also built with a second floor common area including a recreational lounge, a vending lounge, a study lounge, a mail room, and the main lobby. Shreve was also built to house its own dining court with a large dining room separated into three different sections for residents to sit in depending on their mood. The rooms were designed to give the residents choices on how to arrange the rooms. The beds were made to stand alone and be separate or to be bunk beds. The rooms also feature built in dresser drawers and walk in closets. Each room also contains a high top desk that can either be placed at the foot of the bed, creating an alcove, or can be turned with the back against the wall.

Present Day

Although Shreve hall was built with student opinions and to offer the best of every residence hall already located at Purdue modern day; Shreve has many new things to offer residents. Each stag lounge houses a plasma TV, several tables with chairs, and a few couches. The recreational lounge plays home to two billiard tables, two ping pong tables, an air-hockey table, a foosball table, and a big screen TV with several couches. The formal lobby has several over-sized chairs as well as several couches. The formal lounge also contains a piano. The once was dining court is now uninhabited and the dining room now serves as a quiet study lounge. The lobby, the basement laundry room, and lounges have the only wireless internet in the building.

The days of bunk beds have long since been replaced; today most students loft their beds to utilize space more adequately. Other changes that have taken place since Shreve’s opening in 1970 are the depletion of study rooms on every floor and the changing of kitchenettes to only the even floors. The drip-dry rooms have recently been converted to temporary housing until other rooms become available.

Pictures

References

[http://www.housing.purdue.edu/HTML/HOUSShreve.htm Purdue University, Housing and Food Services - Shreve Hall] "Shreve Hall Purdue's Newest Resident Unit" Lafayette Journal and Courier, 18 September 1970. 41