As long as there has been a Gonzaga, College Hall has been at its heart.
Since 1887, College Hall has changed with the world around it, but has always been a place of student growth and the home of the College of Arts & Sciences.
Kara Valle, Assistant to the College’s Budget Officer, dove into University Archives to research the long history of the building the College of Arts & Sciences calls home.
1893 Original Gonzaga College Hall
Other than the County Courthouse, College Hall was the largest building in Spokane. The dormitories were located in the Cupola and could house 40 boys.
1900 Administration Building
The new Adminsitration Building (present-day College Hall) took almost two years to complete and was 189 feet long by 95 feet in each of the two wings. It was built 300 feet east of the original College Hall and was open for students on September 1, 1899.
1908 Senior Dormitory
The University’s dormitories were located on the fourth floor of Administration Building, which is now home to the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office and several College departments. Offices in the Dean’s suite still exhibit the sloped ceilings and support beams.
Note each student was allotted a bed with linen, washbasin, chair, and side table.
1915 Science Students – From the 1912 Catalogue: “In the construction and equipping of the New College, special attention has been given to the Scientific Department, which has been furnished with physical and chemical apparatus of the latest design. The College Museum contains a collection of mineralogical and geological specimens.”
1927 Science Room
1948 Administration Building and St. Aloysius Church
This street scene, complete with classic American cars, comes from the first year the University admitted women as undergraduate students.
Boone Avenue was an active throughway in front of campus until it was closed off and dedicated as the Johnston Family Mall in 1984.
2016 College Hall – The Administration Building was renamed College Hall in 2007, in time to mark the 120th anniversary of the founding of Gonzaga College. Always having been the home of the College of Arts & Sciences, the new name affords recognition for GU’s largest and oldest school.