Morrison Hall

Anderson University's First Dorm

Located next to Park Place Church of God, Morrison Hall is the oldest dorm on campus. Though other buildings - such as the Old People's Home, rebuilt in 1908 after a 1907 fire - had housed students in the past, Morrison was the first dorm to be built specifically for Anderson College.

Originally, Morrison Hall was intended to serve as a men's dorm. Until 1949, housing on Anderson Campus was difficult to find. A little more than half of the students found on-campus housing in the fall of 1947. The college provided trailers for WWII veterans and their families, but students were eager for more comfortable accommodations.

As part of a campus expansion program, Anderson College aimed to raise three hundred thousand dollars from the national church and other donors. The campaign, supported by Linfield Myers and Everett Hartung, among others, was successful in raising money for a number of new buildings, including the new dorm. After a slight hitch with funding in 1947, which left Morrison Hall partially finished for some time, the dorm was completed and dedicated in 1949. It was named for Anderson College's first president, John A. Morrison, whose house was located next to the new hall.

To the disappointment of many of the male students - including Gustav Jeeninga, recently returned from fighting in World War II - the dorm was actually a women's residence hall. President Morrison explained and apologized in a chapel service, promising that a men's dorm would be built soon. Dunn Hall was completed five years later.

Morrison Hall has continuously housed female students at Anderson University since 1949. In 2007, the interior of the dorm was renovated to update the building for the needs of 21st-century students. As of fall 2016, Morrison Hall will have freshman floors as well as floors designated for upperclassman. 

References

• Callen, Barry L. Guide of Soul and Mind: The Story of Anderson University. Anderson: Warner Press, 1992. Print.
• "Campus Buildings" Folder, A.C./A.U. Buildings Documents, Anderson University and Church of God Archives
• "General Buildings" Folder, A.C./A.U. Buildings Documents, Anderson University and Church of God Archives