Richardson Hall

Richardson Hall is the largest of the dorms on the University campus. Construction of the hall completed during the summer of 1970 at a cost of $654,385.40.²⁶ The building was named after Charles S. Richardson, the first President of Dakota State University, known then as Dakota Normal School.²⁷ 

Home of the “Rowdies from Richardson,” as the men were called,²⁹ this 35,000 square foot four-story men’s residence hall accommodates 202 male students in double occupancy rooms.³⁰ Central television lounges and bathroom facilities are provided on each floor along with a laundry in the basement, computer lab on the second floor, and a kitchen on the third floor. Because it is air conditioned, Richardson Hall was used during summer sessions for both men and women. The hall is located on the east end of campus next to Emry Hall and is within close walking distance of the Trojan Center.

During the summer sessions, men and women cohabitated Richardson Hall as an economical way to get the most use from the college’s one air-conditioned dorm. According to the Eastern, “It is quite a life they live together; women on third and fourth floors (closer to the heavens). The men inhabit floor No. 1. Second floor is said to symbolize the Great Wall of China, protecting the girls from invasion.”³¹

Dakota State University • All rights Reserved
Completed by Spring 2004 Class of English 401
Last updated Spring 2004