Records of Housing and Dining Services

Housing and Dining Services at Colorado State University provides and organizes services for students who live in on-campus housing or purchase meal plans. The first dormitory on campus opened in 1881, with female students and the dining hall on the main floor, and the male students on the upper floor. In 1885, the dormitory was designated for female students only; male students lived off campus in approved housing. The following year, the situation switched with male students occupying the dorm and female students living off campus. In 1893, the on-campus dormitory was re-purposed and all students were living in approved off-campus housing.

In 1937, the State Board of Agriculture approved funding for a women's dormitory, Rockwell Hall, to be constructed, the first on-campus student housing since the closure of the dormitory building in 1893. Braiden Hall, a dormitory for men, was completed in 1948. In 1945, a significant increase in student enrollment of returning veterans and other new students highlighted the lack of available student housing both on campus and in the Fort Collins community. Temporary housing of quonset huts was added for student veterans (known as Veterans' Village), a men's dormitory, later known as South Hall, was quickly constructed, the Field House was turned into a men's dormitory, and a trailer court was allowed next to the Veterans' Village. In 1950 the government enacted Public Law 475 or the College Housing Program that allowed colleges and universities to obtain long-term federal loans at low interest rates for building dormitories, dining halls, and student unions. With federal funding available, President William Morgan established a campus plan that saw the building of dormitories as well as athletic facilities on the west end of campus. Construction began on new residence halls and temporary housing such as the Veterans' Village and the trailer court were phased out. Current on-campus housing includes eleven residence halls and the academic village, along with seven dining halls.