For most students here at Stevens, one of the significant differences compared to pre-college life is living in dorms. Whether it be sharing a triple in Castle Point Hall, a suite in River Terrace, or a single in Palmer, the dorms of Stevens play an intricate part in the identity of the school. However, most of the dorms have a rich and meaningful history, each with its own stories and tales from the many students who have lived there. So, to honor these stories, here is a quick overview of the history of the dorms at Stevens: Palmer, Jacobus, Hayden, Humphreys, Davis, Castle Point Hall, and Jonas.
Although the beginning of dorms on campus was in the famed Castle Stevens, it was not until the end of the 1930s when, in 1937, President Harvey Davis announced a new plan for campus on behalf of a Trustee committee under the commission of Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker, an architecture firm with high-stakes projects like the Times Square Building and renovations to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first building that this innovative new project saw was Palmer Hall. Named after Stevens graduate Edgar Palmer and designed by architect I. Howland Jones, Palmer is located on the upper campus with stunning views of Castle Stevens and the growing Manhattan skyline in the distance. The design of Palmer was to cover both comfortable rooming for the men of Stevens (no women at Stevens at that point) and to frame the infamous Castle Stevens to appear over the horizon with the Empire State Building in the background as visitors climbed the hill along 8th Street.
The other dorm hall made during Harvey Davis’s expansion plan was Jacobus, also in 1938, which was recently demolished to make way for the University Complex Center (UCC). Unlike Palmer, Jacobus was to be much more than simply a dorm, but a social hub for students on campus. Named after Stevens alum David Schenck Jacobus by his friend William Slocum Barstow and designed by New York-based architect Harold Webb, Jacobus would be able to house 21 students and contained squash courts and game rooms, along with rooms to hold events like dances and meetings.
Jacobus was one of the last buildings made by President Harvey Davis. He was succeeded by President Jess Davis (no relation). In this Davis era, even more, dorms were constructed as Stevens strived to grow. The first of which was Hayden Hall, built in 1956 and also destroyed to make way for the UCC. Hayden, named after Charles Hayden and built by Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker was designed as a simple two-story brick box with views of Wittpenn Walk and across the Hudson to Manhattan.
Humphreys Hall was built after Hayden in 1961 by John J. McNamara, and was known as Dorm B until it was named after the second president of Stevens, Alexander Humphreys. While it does not offer views of the city, Humphreys was exemplary of sophisticated colonial architecture that is reminiscent of the Ivy League dorms of the centuries before.
Built-in tandem with Humprehyes, also by John J. McNamara, Davis, was originally known as Dorm A but then renamed to honor Harvey Davis. Davis was built to reform Stevens from a commuter school to one with a residential student population. With a perfect view of Manhattan, it remained the largest dorm until Jonas.
Also in the 1960s was the construction of Castle Point Hall in 1964, also by McNamara. Named Dorm C until being changed to be named after the location and remembrance of Castle Stevens, it was originally housing for married graduate students and their families. Also, the larger dorm is recognizable by the main entrance through a bridge and with more fantastic views of the city.
The final dorm (not counting UCC since it is only one year old, and River Terrace as they were not made or owned by Stevens until later) is Jonas. Built in 1982 by Ewing Cole Cherry Parsky and originally known as Technology Hall, Jonas was a major addition to the on-campus population and offered conference housing for the school to host.
The dorms of Stevens are often overlooked as the small and snuffy boxes first-years live in, but they each house their own unique history and story. So next time you go to sleep in Palmer or play poker in the Davis lounge, just remember you are following in the footsteps of decades of Stevens students.
