Students coming to Huntsville to attend Sam Houston Normal Institute lived in boarding houses, many situated within walking distance of the fledging campus. These private residences were opened up by their owners to allow students a place to live, study, and socialize. It stands to reason, then, that when the university began plans for a four-story dormitory north of the main campus that the owners of these boarding houses might be worried of being run out of business [1].
Built in the midst of the Great Depression, Belvin Hall was erected with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA) on property once belonging to landowner Seth Gay. It was built near where the first campus cafeteria had once stood, a large temporary frame building constructed in 1922.
The red brick building was built exclusively for women and contained sitting parlors and two dining halls, in addition to the living quarters. By 1945, the population of the university had increased such that a new dormitory was required - Buchanan Hall, an addition to Belvin situated parallel to University Avenue, housed another 100-plus students.
Entering its seventh decade of use, Belvin-Buchanan Hall houses over 200 female students and is home to one of the main campus cafeterias.
