Belvin-Buchanan Hall is a dormitory at the northeast corner of University Avenue and 17th Street. Belvin Hall was the first student residence constructed on campus and has remained women-only since its opening.
The four-story, red brick residence was erected with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA) on property once belonging to landowner Seth Gay and located “west and slightly north” of the first campus cafeteria [1]. Its occupancy was 92 residents [2]. Mrs. W.H. “Fannie” Matthews was the first director, or “hall mother,” followed by Florence King [1]. Described in the 1937 Alcalde as a “pleasant” home for women, Belvin boasted “comfortable bedrooms" as well as "parlors, recreation, and reception rooms for social life,” central heating, and dining facilities - all attractive alternatives to the boarding houses that dotted the community.
An architectural double of Belvin Hall, Wisely Hall, stands on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.
By 1945, the population of the college had increased to the point that a new dormitory was needed. Buchanan Hall, an addition to Belvin situated parallel to University Avenue, housed another 132 girls [2].
Dining facilities included a large dining hall, a smaller room for private functions, and kitchenettes on each floor. Meals were served at scheduled times, girls were expected to “dress for dinner [1]”, and engage in conversation – as part of their “social training [2]”. A cafeteria later replaced the dining hall with food served at various times during the day to meet students’ schedules. Café Belvin remained a popular destination until it closed in August 2011 with the opening of Old Main Market.
The cafeteria received attention in March 1998 when, in the days leading up to spring break, an unprecedented outbreak of food poisoning sent close to 125 students to Memorial Hospital. After an investigation by the university and Department of Health, it was determined that a norovirus caused a gastrointestinal illness that students contracted from sandwiches at the deli-bar [3].
The dorm was closed for most of the 2006-07 school year as it underwent major heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and electrical repairs.
The 1964 Alcalde notes the combined dorms housed 227 girls; this number has decreased slightly over the decades (221 by the 2000, and 209 by 2010).
