<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Cornellians<\/em> recently asked alumni to share their memories of living in the U-Halls over the decades\u2014and the dozens of submissions we received brought the narrow, bygone, dimly lit hallways of those spartan structures to brilliant life. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWe got brief anecdotes and detailed stories\u2014some, it must be said, not entirely \u201csafe for work\u201d\u2014as well as a few vintage photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe dozens of submissions we received brought the narrow, bygone, dimly lit hallways of those spartan structures to brilliant life.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Alumni shared vivid glimpses into a dorm culture that not only transcended the shortcomings of the buildings themselves, but continues to bind generations of Cornellians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn 1972\u201373, my freshman roommate and I painted our U-Hall 3 room orange and white,\u201d recalls Lucrezia Herman \u201976. \u201cIt was known as \u2018the Creamsicle\u2019 and, from what I could see from outside, stayed that color until at least 1980.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Jack Glassman \u201980, MA \u201982, remembers the sound a Frisbee would make as it skimmed off the cinderblock walls, barely missing the exit signs\u2014and a particular student \u201cwho managed to scale the outside of our building by climbing from windowsill to sill at the end of the stacked central corridors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among our favorite memories: one from Karl Johnson \u201989, BA \u201990, PhD \u201910, who shared the tale of how a prankster\u2014his own brother, David Johnson \u201985, BS \u201987\u2014somehow jammed a Volkswagen bug into his room in U-Hall 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was quite an attraction for a few days, but it was not<\/em> convenient,\u201d Karl writes.<\/p>\n<\/div>Moving violation: The notorious VW in situ<\/em>, 1986.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u201cTo get to my bed I had to pass through the driver\u2019s door, exit the passenger door, climb to the upper bunk, and then get on the couch that had been placed on top of my bunk to make room for the car. When, in the midst of finals, my poor roommate finally had had enough, I called David and told him the joke had run its course. With his help, we disassembled the rig and tossed the pieces off the loading dock next to the dumpster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nAmong our favorite memories: one from Karl Johnson \u201989, BA \u201990, PhD \u201910, who shared how a prankster somehow jammed a Volkswagen bug into his room in U-Hall 3.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But before we take a deep dive into your memories: a history lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The halls were constructed at a total cost of $4.2 million and opened for the fall 1954 semester, offering nearly 1,500 beds to freshmen and some upperclassmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
A 1960s winter view, overlooking Cayuga Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Originally simply numbered 1 through 6, they were eventually named for the classes of 1917, 1918, 1922, 1926, and 1928, and for Elmer Sperry, inventor of the gyroscope (who studied engineering on the Hill for a year in 1879\u201380).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t until the late 1960s that the first Noyes Community Center\u2014housing a dining hall, study spaces, and recreational facilities\u2014was built in the middle of the U-Halls\u2019 footprint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hijinks in the Sperry Hall third-floor lounge, fall 1999.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
(It also effectively replaced the freshman cafeteria in U-Hall 1, affectionately known as the \u201cBarf Bar.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Cornell legend has long held that the U-Halls had been intended for relatively short-term use\u2014built as a stopgap measure to house the influx of veterans attending on the GI Bill\u2014but remained standing long past their expiration date, this is untrue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, they replaced the (truly) temporary wood barracks\u2014erected a decade earlier to house soldiers training on campus\u2014which strained to accommodate the postwar enrollment surge.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
And while the U-Halls were often lumped in with other examples of utilitarian and unlovely midcentury design, the fact is that they were criticized even before construction began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the University\u2019s Board of Trustees considered plans in 1953, a group of architecture students sent a list of objections, bemoaning the fact that \u201cbasic principles, regardless of style, have been ignored,\u201d that the plan \u201cignores the sun, the wind, storms, views, orientation to existing buildings,\u201d and that the designs showed \u201ca striking similarity to brick barracks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even official University narratives are not kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\u201cThe students didn\u2019t like the new dorms,\u201d professors Glenn Altschuler, PhD \u201976, and Isaac Kramnick wrote in Cornell: A History, 1940\u20132015. <\/em>\u201cThey called the U-Halls \u2018The Stables\u2019 and complained about the quality of the construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThe green and yellow cinderblock walls soon cracked, and the plywood doors were vulnerable \u2018to strong fists\u2019 and \u2018ambitious knocking.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And in The Cornell Campus\u2014<\/em>a detailed chronicle of the Hill\u2019s physical development that was published in 1968\u2014author Kermit Parsons, MRP \u201953, labors at placing the U-Halls in a benevolent context.<\/p>\n<\/div>Dancing in the much-remembered cinderblock hallways.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u201cNecessity seems to have been the mother of desperation rather than invention,\u201d Parsons writes, explaining that the University had just <\/strong>cleared its wartime deficit through careful financial planning when trustees were faced with construction choices for the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThe six new \u2018engineering style\u2019 men\u2019s dormitories turned out to be the sort of \u2018brick boxes standing on bare plots of ground\u2019 which President White in 1885 had so mournfully predicted would appear if Cornell lost her understanding of the educational role played by campus design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Then-President Rhodes in a student lounge, 1979.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
But the U-Halls nonetheless developed an irrepressible spirit\u2014one that was eloquently evoked by Bob Harrison \u201976, then chairman of the Board of Trustees, in his remarks at the dedication of the North Campus Residential Expansion project in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDespite their indisputable ugliness, I can tell you that the residential experience inside those dorms was positively extraordinary,\u201d he recalled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe guys who lived in the rooms on either side of mine on the third floor of U-Hall 5\u2014classmates I met on the very first day of Orientation Week\u2014are still among my closest friends, 49 years later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Students in early-\u201990s fashions, with the original Noyes Center in the background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
It was, Harrison concluded, \u201ca testament to the importance of the residential campus experience at Cornell\u2014even when the architecture itself was working against it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read on for decades of memories\u2014from \u201cU-Hall Bingo\u201d and mass snowball fights to pranks, the nearby Hot Truck, and more. And add your own in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Submissions have been edited and condensed.<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Playing \u2018U-Hall Bingo\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cAt the beginning of our freshman year we figured out that the phone numbers for each room were sequential on each floor. On certain evenings we would call a neighboring U-Hall and try to get folks to turn their lights on. First one to get an entire row or floor lit up was the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Carlos Byrne \u201990<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The U-Halls by night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cU-Hall bingo! Get three in a row at 2 a.m. and be the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Sean Szymanski \u201995<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe opening salvo of a water fight, 1980.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Fun, indoors and out<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cI remember a particularly pitched battle between my floor and the floor above: water being dumped down from the lounge, people running up and down the stairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe thought the hostilities had ceased when through an open window swung a potted plant, maybe four feet tall. One of our number leaned through the window and yelled, \u2018We\u2019re keeping your plant!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo which the perpetrator called down: \u2018Fine, but you have to return it to Jansen\u2019s!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Dan Moren \u201902<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u201cMy friend was busy throwing snowballs out a third-floor window at the huge group of students having a snowball fight outside. Suddenly a Safety Division officer approached us with a stern look on his face; my friend saw his law school future fade away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFinally, the officer said: \u2018You don\u2019t know how to throw a snowball. Let me show you,\u2019 and began throwing with what he claimed was the proper technique at the crowd below.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Monte Klein \u201975<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nOn any Friday afternoon in fall 1977, it was guaranteed there were at least four people with a speaker in the window blasting \u2018Free Bird.\u2019<\/p>\nJill Novack Lynch \u201981<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\u201cLate one night, I heard music outside. I opened the window and saw a pretty large group of people engaged in an intense snowball fight. Someone had set up stereo speakers in their window and was blasting the \u2018William Tell Overture.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Joe Morgan \u201976<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\u201cThere was a great snowball fight in \u201995\u201396\u2014hundreds of people. I remember people bringing snow upstairs to throw from the lounges of the upper floors. Great memories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Brian Siana \u201999<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI could see the Hot Truck and determine whether there was a long line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlso, Primal Scream at 11 p.m. Funniest one was someone yelled out their window, \u2018I want my mommy\u2019 and someone from some other U-Hall called out \u2018I want your mother, too!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Leslie Kalick Wolfe \u201987<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>Shooting hoops in the early 1980s.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI may or may not have been involved with blasting horrible music out our window during midterm evenings, people yelling at us, and the RA trying to hunt us down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Victor Tancredi \u201995<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“1991\u201393 JAM [Just About Music] U-Hall 5 was the best! Music rooms on the main floor. Salsa nights on the first floor. The best RAs.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Becky Turner Wong \u201995<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nAnyone remember the food fight? I believe the winter of \u201973\u201374. I was lucky enough to be looking down from the third floor when it started.<\/p>\nNancy Peck Casler \u201977, BS \u201979<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA nighttime parade in the snow around the \u2018Dust Bowl\u2019 by students wearing pajamas, bathrobes, or parkas, and snow boots, tootling on imaginary instruments, singing loudly (in some cases drunkenly), and throwing toilet paper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Toby Brown Gooley \u201978<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nHijinks in the halls<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cOne winter evening, a few of us decided to make our own steam room in the first-floor bathroom, because it was too long a walk to Teagle. So we covered up the shower drains and turned on the hot water. While we were enjoying our creation, our RA came in and said water was pouring into the apartment of the head RA and his wife below us!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Neal Weinstein \u201970<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Lounge football, 1984.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe women on our floor had the zany idea to make a Thanksgiving turkey before we went home for the real Turkey Day with our families\u2014but whoever was responsible for buying it got a frozen one. None of us had ever cooked a turkey before and we had no idea how long it would take to thaw, so we all took shifts running cold water over it in the utility sink in the janitor\u2019s closet. I have more memories of thawing that turkey than of eating it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Suzanne Tougas Snedeker \u201978<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nPlayed pitch \u2019n\u2019 putt in the hallway. RA didn\u2019t appreciate the divots in the carpet and dents in the door.<\/p>\nEric Bliss \u201982<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\u201cThose narrow hallways\u2014you could walk on the walls, one foot on each side, if you were tall enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Ted Davids \u201968<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
A typical room, 1964.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was possible to lock someone into their room by forcing pennies between the door and the jamb; it pushed the bolt so firmly against the strike plate that it was extremely difficult to retract it using the small lever inside. We also occasionally moved the doors around. As the room numbers were on the doors, this could be confusing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Eric Siegel \u201972, MEng \u201974<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe quality of construction was \u2026 lacking<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cThe walls were extremely thin. One winter night, I told my roommate I was going downstairs to get a hot chocolate out of the vending machine and he asked me to get him one too. While he was hunting for some change, there was a knock on our door. It was our next-door neighbor, who said, \u2018As long as you are going down, would you please get me one too?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Bill Fitzsimmons \u201967<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The 1950s design plans included scale models of the rooms.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGreat hallmates and roommate, but nasty orange carpet in the hallways and cold tile floors and cinderblock walls in our rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Angela Helms Anello \u201988<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s U-Hall<\/em>, not U-Haul<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cEmail was still a new thing in 1990, so my friends and I exchanged actual mailing addresses. One friend thought I was going to live in a U-Haul truck!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Nicole Vantuno Wagner \u201994<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI remember getting the letter explaining I would be in temporary housing in U-Hall 2 and picturing a trailer!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Dave Schowalter \u201988<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Newspaper delivery, 1967.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen my father was helping me move into the Baker dorms at the start of my freshman year, the directions we heard repeatedly were that they were \u2018just past the U-Halls.\u2019 We spent a long time desperately looking for the U-Haul trucks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Dina Wolfman Baker \u201983<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLocation, location, location<\/h2>\n\n\n\n \u201c1963\u201367, the U-Halls were all men and mostly freshmen. Meanwhile all the women were on North Campus in Dickson 5 & 6, Donlon, Risley, Balch, and some in sorority houses. While a lot of this was a result of \u2018in loco parentis,\u2019 we women did get the better deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Anne Dalton \u201967<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI remember having to lug all my laundry in the Ithaca weather to U-Hall 1 from South Baker. It was the closest laundry facility!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Gretchen Paul Schnabel \u201986<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cU-Hall 4\u2014the final year before it went co-ed! Near to the \u2018Barf Bar\u2019 for fastest omelets ever and \u2018Suis\u2019 at Louie\u2019s truck when pulling an all-nighter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Terry Hartmann \u201970<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Kappa Alpha Theta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon host a tug-of-war for charity in fall 1984.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere was a bar run by Cornell Dining in the ground floor of Sperry (U-Hall 6) in \u201978. Had my first and last Long Island iced tea. It was a short walk to upchuck outside. When the drinking age went up in New York State the bar was closed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Al Rocco \u201982<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWith a drinking age of 18 and a 30-yard walk out the front door to Noyes Pub and $1 draft beers\u2014couldn\u2019t beat it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Peter Mayers \u201982<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nThe best thing about living in U-Hall 3 was being the closest to the Hot Truck. Many a card game was played in the lounge to see who would buy the subs that night.<\/p>\nLois Simmons \u201974<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\u201cU-Hall 4, the Lost Hallway. Stewart Avenue right outside our window. We gave our custodian such a hard job every Monday morning that we all chipped in and bought him a nice watch at the end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Wayne Schanck \u201988<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI had been coming to Ithaca on an annual basis from Philadelphia for many years, so I knew my way around pretty well. Once we dropped our luggage in our room, four of us headed down Stewart Ave. to Jim\u2019s Place for our first beers at Cornell. I knew right away that I was going to love this place (both Cornell and Jim\u2019s!)\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Ted Rauch \u201961<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
U-Hall 4\u2019s \u201cTarpit Lounge\u201d\u2014located on the loading dock roof\u2014in 1973.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Rituals, characters, and memorable moments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n \u201cPinball at Noyes. Co-ed by floor. Ultimate Frisbee in the Dust Bowl. The food truck for after-hour munchies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Josh Kiem \u201978<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cI remember staring out of my window waving goodbye to my family who dropped me off with a combination of excitement and fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe cinderblock walls may have been a sign of strong construction, but they looked cold and institutional. Still, I had many great experiences with the guys on my floor and in other U-Halls. My, how the room and board have changed since then!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Andrew Goldstein \u201969<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cSperry rocked! I loved it there my freshman year. I recall the collective primal scream rituals at midnight during finals week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Randall Nixon \u201978<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>Future spouses Margo Sue Randall Bittner \u201980 and Jim Bittner \u201980 in front of U-Hall 1\u2014where they met\u2014in 1977.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u201cBest memories are the Hot Truck and having 200 fellow hallmates gathered to watch \u2018SNL\u2019 every Saturday night on the one working TV in the basement!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Patrick Bell Sr. \u201982<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nThen there was the guy who periodically sat on the laundry room windowsill while he washed all<\/em> of his clothes.<\/p>\nCarl Anderson \u201968<\/strong>\u201cI lived in U-Hall 5 as a freshman. When my daughter matriculated 33 years later, she was in Keeton Hall\u2014located on the same site. When we walked out the door to the parking area, it was the exact same view that had greeted me all those years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Sandra Cronauer Mitra \u201978<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Noyes Community Center, 1973.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt seems impossible that they only opened in 1954, as they had the atmosphere of decaying custodial institutions even by 1967. Also amazed they lasted until 2004! Other recollections: the lingering smell of stale beer in the social lounges. Watching \u2018Star Trek\u2019 in the first-floor social room. The short walk to the Chapter House and the Hot Truck. Card games when we should have been cramming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Scott Shiffner \u201971<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI remember some of the guys setting up a small radio station in the third-floor lounge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Rudy Mitchell \u201971<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI had never seen a bagel until the first Sunday morning coffee hour in the basement lounge. I asked someone about the funny-looking doughnuts, and everyone there from my corridor, mostly guys from New York, found it hilarious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Paul Rohan \u201968<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
During her 10th Reunion, Nicole Vantuno Wagner \u201994 points to her former room\u2014in the process of demolition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was rehearsing a play a week before the end of the semester. One of the actors said, \u2018My parents got me Big Red Bucks that I never used. They expire at the end of the semester. Anyone want lunch?\u2019 We all got free vending machine lunch and he was our hero.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Joseph Beck \u201999<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPerfect place to spend the year transitioning from high school to college.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Richard Schrade Jr. \u201982<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Top: Lounging<\/em> al fresco in 1979. Student candids provided by alumni (special thanks to Margo Sue Randall Bittner \u201980; Scott Jackson \u201976; Karl Johnson \u201989, BA \u201990, PhD \u201910; Dan Moren \u201902; Gretchen Paul Schnabel \u201986; Gligor Tashkovich ’87, MBA \u201991; and Nicole Vantuno Wagner \u201994). All other images from Rare and Manuscript Collections.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nPublished August 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you remember about the U-Halls?<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We asked for your memories\u2014the good, the bad, and the cinderblock\u2014and received a deluge of dorm deeds and delights<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":38886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[35799,21491,27382],"footnotes":""},"categories":[224],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-38905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cornelliana"],"yoast_head":"\n
For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We asked for your memories\u2014the good, the bad, and the cinderblock\u2014and received a deluge of dorm deeds and delights\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience - Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We asked for your memories\u2014the good, the bad, and the cinderblock\u2014and received a deluge of dorm deeds and delights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-08T16:54:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-08T16:54:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6141-A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joe Wilensky\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joe Wilensky\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"18 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joe Wilensky\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eb12371d369d4c9b51867971301228e2\"},\"headline\":\"For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-08T16:54:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-08T16:54:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":3081,\"commentCount\":74,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/DSCF6141-A.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Cornelliana\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/\",\"name\":\"For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience - Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/DSCF6141-A.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-08T16:54:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-08T16:54:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eb12371d369d4c9b51867971301228e2\"},\"description\":\"We asked for your memories\u2014the good, the bad, and the cinderblock\u2014and received a deluge of dorm deeds and delights\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/DSCF6141-A.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/DSCF6141-A.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"View of students lounging on a lawn outside one of the University Halls, 1979\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/u-hall-memories\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"description\":\"Cornell's alumni publication\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eb12371d369d4c9b51867971301228e2\",\"name\":\"Joe Wilensky\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cc152614df443c1338ec351e6dad0f70be9da543e8c7f2eacf811ce192f4300e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cc152614df443c1338ec351e6dad0f70be9da543e8c7f2eacf811ce192f4300e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cc152614df443c1338ec351e6dad0f70be9da543e8c7f2eacf811ce192f4300e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Joe Wilensky\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/author\\\/jjw33\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience - Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"We asked for your memories\u2014the good, the bad, and the cinderblock\u2014and received a deluge of dorm deeds and delights","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience - Cornellians | Cornell University","og_description":"We asked for your memories\u2014the good, the bad, and the cinderblock\u2014and received a deluge of dorm deeds and delights","og_url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/","og_site_name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians","article_published_time":"2024-08-08T16:54:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-08-08T16:54:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6141-A.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Joe Wilensky","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@WeCornellians","twitter_site":"@WeCornellians","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joe Wilensky","Est. reading time":"18 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/"},"author":{"name":"Joe Wilensky","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/eb12371d369d4c9b51867971301228e2"},"headline":"For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience","datePublished":"2024-08-08T16:54:49+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-08T16:54:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/"},"wordCount":3081,"commentCount":74,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6141-A.jpg","articleSection":["Cornelliana"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/","name":"For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience - Cornellians | Cornell University","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6141-A.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-08T16:54:49+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-08T16:54:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/eb12371d369d4c9b51867971301228e2"},"description":"We asked for your memories\u2014the good, the bad, and the cinderblock\u2014and received a deluge of dorm deeds and delights","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6141-A.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6141-A.jpg","width":1600,"height":900,"caption":"View of students lounging on a lawn outside one of the University Halls, 1979"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/u-hall-memories\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/","name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Cornell's alumni publication","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/eb12371d369d4c9b51867971301228e2","name":"Joe Wilensky","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cc152614df443c1338ec351e6dad0f70be9da543e8c7f2eacf811ce192f4300e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cc152614df443c1338ec351e6dad0f70be9da543e8c7f2eacf811ce192f4300e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cc152614df443c1338ec351e6dad0f70be9da543e8c7f2eacf811ce192f4300e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Joe Wilensky"},"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/author\/jjw33\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET","POST","PUT","PATCH","DELETE"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38905"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39040,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38905\/revisions\/39040"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38905"},{"taxonomy":"cornell_year_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cornell_year_post?post=38905"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=38905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/U-Halls_aerial_view_1954-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6120-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Karl_Johnson_VWBug_1986-A-819x1024.jpg\")
![\"Winter](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/West_Campus_winter_shot_1960s-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"Hijinks](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Dan_Moren_Sperry_Hal_lounge_Nov_1999-A-819x1024.jpg\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Gligor_scanned_20240719-2020-820x1024.jpg\")
![\"President](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6149-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/1991_West_Campus_view_RMC2007_0149-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"Night](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/U-Halls_night_view-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"Water](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6134-A-819x1024.jpg\")
![\"Students](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6117-A-819x1024.jpg\")
![\"Residents](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Gligor_scanned_20240719-2019-1024x749.jpg\")
![\"Student](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/U-Halls_dorm_room_1964-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"Original](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Living_Units_for_Men_Plan_interior_model-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6144-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Gretchen_Paul_Tug_of_War_Easter_Seals_1984-A_crop-1024x819.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/1973-Cornell-Tarpit-Lounge-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"Margo](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Bittner_U-Hall-1_1977-A-819x1024.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/DSCF6143-A-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"Nicole](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Nicole_Wagner_at_10th_Reunion_2004-A-1024x576.jpg\")