Smith Hall (Georgia Tech)

Infobox_University
name = John M. Smith Hall


established = 1949
type = Residence Hall
campus = FE South
city = Atlanta
state = Georgia
residents = 295 Undergraduate
free_label = Emblem
free = American elm
country = USA
colors = Black & Gold
website = [http://www.housing.gatech.edu/assignments/undergraduate_reshalls_detail.cfm?BldgID=006 Smith Hall Site]

Smith Residence Hall is a residence hall of the Georgia Tech Freshman Experience.Dedicated to John M. Smith, member of the first graduating class in Tech history. Smith Hall was designed by the architects Bush-Brown, Gailey and Heffernan and built for $614,000. [cite web|url=http://www.irp.gatech.edu/space/fac.cfm?fac=006|title=Smith Building Information|publisher=Georgia Tech Office of Institutional Research and Planning|accessdate=2007-07-22]

Smith is the largest Freshman Experience dorm by area with 5 total floors, allocating 4 for residents. 0 floor houses East Campus custodial services. The broad side faces North Ave and the building is flanked by Brown Hall and Williams Street. Smith was the Southeastern most point of campus until Georgia Tech's acquisition the North Avenue Apartment Complex (formerly the Georgia State Village), and is closest to the last defenses of Atlanta during the Civil War.

The Southeast corner of Smith leads to a large foyer that opens into a walled in green space. This green space was the extreme Southeastern point of Georgia Tech from 1996-2007. Before 1996, Techwood Dorm was the Southeastern tip of Georgia Tech and in 2007 the acquisition of the Georgia State Village has once again displaced Smith as the closest Tech building to the Varsity. Smith is approximately 500 feet from the Atlanta landmark.

During years of housing need, Smith lounges were converted into "flex spaces" which housed up to 6 residents at one time. Other dormitories experienced the flex spaces but not to the extent of Smith which could increase its capacity by 14 additional residents.

Smith Hall was originally designed as the athlete dormitory with a built-in cafeteria and hot tub. The cafeteria on the third floor has since been converted into a lounge but still retains the cafeteria serving line and salad bar. The room was the 6-man flex space in the Fall 2004-Spring 2005 and Fall 2005-Spring 2006 school years. [cite web|first=Haining|last=Yu|url=http://www.nique.net/issues/2004-08-20/news/1|title=Enrollment causes overcrowding|work=The Technique|date=2004-08-20|accessdate=2007-07-22] The hot tub was located in the modern day Hall Director office and pipes from the tub remained in Smith up until Summer of 2003 during renovation.

References