Alumni Hall NYU: A History of Residence and Representation

New York University (NYU) boasts a diverse and historically rich undergraduate housing system. Among its many residence halls, Alumni Hall stands out. This article delves into the history of Alumni Hall, its unique characteristics, and the broader context of NYU's residential life and student governance.

A Unique Residence Hall

Alumni Hall, located at 33 Third Avenue, holds a distinctive place within NYU's residence hall system. It is the only residence hall that exclusively offers single rooms. This feature makes it a popular choice for students. Alumni Hall houses 452 residents and has 12 Resident Assistants (RAs) to support the students.

The Inter-Residence Hall Council (IRHC): An Umbrella Organization

The Inter-Residence Hall Council (IRHC) serves as the umbrella organization for all hall councils within NYU's residence halls. The IRHC plays a crucial role in representing student interests and advocating for improvements in residential life.

Formation and Early Years

The IRHC was officially established in 1985 by Tom Grace, the Director of Community Standards. Initially conceived as a section within housing, the IRHC merged with a plan to create a committee representing residence halls in the University Committee on Student Life (UCSL). A task force was formed. It determined the council's structure and authority. After studying similar colleges and universities, a committee composed of hall managers, hall presidents, and hall representatives drafted the IRHC's first constitution under the UCSL charter.

In 1986-87, NYU President John Brademas spearheaded a major campaign to increase on-campus residency. This period also marked the beginning of the 4-year housing guarantee. With each hall having its own independent government, there was a clear need for a central organization to unite them. Thus, the IRHC was created. However, it initially struggled with prestige. Many IRHC members were students who were not elected to their hall councils, leading to the perception that the IRHC was a weaker organization compared to individual hall governments.

The Turning Point: Third Avenue North and Resident Advocacy

The opening of Third Avenue North in December 1987 served as a catalyst for residential change. To accommodate more freshmen, the administration limited the number of upperclassmen in the halls around Washington Square Park. This led to protests from upperclassmen who did not want to be moved to Third North and Carlyle Court, which they considered to be off-campus locations.

The IRHC stepped in to represent all residents. This was a role it had never played before. The IRHC worked closely with the administration, primarily as an advocate for residents. It gathered input and opinions rather than focusing on programming. Since its involvement in the 1988 resident protests, the IRHC has been actively involved in many changes proposed by the administration. These include the creation of the Campus Cash program, changes in the housing lottery including sophomore-priority ranking, issues with the campus transportation system and Safe Ride, and the building and designing of the Kimmel Center for University Life along with new residence halls.

Representation and Campus-Wide Programming

Around the late 1980s, the IRHC began to re-evaluate its representation system. Buildings like Third North, with their significantly larger resident populations, felt they deserved additional representation in the IRHC. To address this, Third North split into three separate hall councils. However, these councils ended up meeting at the same time and sharing the same executive officers. This issue resurfaced in 1998 with the opening of Water Street, which also sought additional representation due to its large population.

The Advocacy Committee, on behalf of the Inter-Residence Hall Council, determined that the IRHC operated under an indirect representation system based on its charter. Since all students were allowed to attend IRHC General Assembly meetings and voice their opinions, IRHC members were responsible for voting on behalf of their constituents when those students were absent. This led to the current system of representation: two representatives per hall, regardless of size (one president and one IRHC representative).

The Inter-Residence Hall Council started to consider campus-wide programming. At that time, the IRHC was funded independently through fundraisers and other events. Third Avenue North, as the largest hall on campus, took the lead in programming for residents. The program chair from their hall council served on the IRHC executive council, and this position was eventually expanded to become an all-campus program chair.

Read also: Remembrance and Progress

In the early 1990s, the IRHC established inter-hall competitions to foster hall spirit. This marked the first time that the IRHC put on large-scale programming and collaborated with the Office of Student Activities. Since these competitions, the IRHC has been dedicated to both advocacy and programming. An annual fashion show, in collaboration with the Fashion Business Association, became a popular event in the late 1990s. Other early events included trips to Six Flags Great Adventure, bowling alleys, and annual holiday parties.

Programming efforts expanded to include bringing Relay for Life to NYU in April 2003, the creation of UltraViolet Live in February 2004, the first TORCH Day in 2003, and the first Flurry in 2008. UltraViolet Live has showcased incredible talent.

NYU Residence Halls: Unique Living Spaces

NYU's residence halls are unique. Many are converted apartment complexes or old hotels. Most freshman residence halls are in the Washington Square area, while many of the upperclassmen halls are in the Union Square area.

Until the Spring 2005 semester, NYU used a lottery system to determine eligibility for residence hall preference. Under this system, a student received one point for every semester they had lived in campus housing. Freshmen were exempt from the lottery system and traditionally placed in the halls closest to the main campus area. As a result, most of the students who lived in halls far from Washington Square were sophomores.

However, beginning in the fall 2006 semester, sophomores received priority housing. This gave them first choice of residence halls. The purpose of this initiative was to keep the sophomore class together in the Union Square area. As a result, the junior class of 2008 and the senior class of 2007 never benefited from having first choice, either as seniors under the old system or sophomores under the new system.

Read also: The Future of Alumni Hall

The university operates its own transit system to transport its students to campus. There are currently 23 buildings in New York University's undergraduate housing system. In general, NYU residence halls receive favorable ratings, and some are opulent. Many rooms are spacious and contain amenities considered rare for individual college residence hall rooms, such as kitchens and living rooms/common areas. All residence halls are staffed by 24-hour security staff and contain multiple resident assistants (RAs). Several halls also contain faculty in residence. Unlike many other universities, NYU rooms all have their own bathrooms. Many residence halls have their own dining hall. The university offers meal choices to suit various diets. Almost all the residence halls have a laundry room that is open to resident students 24 hours a day.

Other Notable NYU Residence Halls

Besides Alumni Hall, several other NYU residence halls have unique histories and characteristics:

Brittany Hall: A 17-story pre-war gothic high rise located at 55 East 10th Street. Constructed in 1929, its Gothic elements mirror the historic Grace Church across the street. It was originally an apartment building, and the 17th-floor penthouse doubled as a speakeasy during Prohibition.
Founders Hall: The newest addition to the system, which first opened for the Fall 2009 semester. It is located at 120 East 12th Street, houses over 700 students, and is known for its clean facilities, large windows, and extra-large rooms. The St. Annâs Church was demolished in 2005 to make way for NYUâs âFounderâs Hallâ dorm at 120 East 12th Street.
Goddard Hall: A small first-year hall located on 79 Washington Square East. This hall was regularly shown on NYU campus tours. Goddard housed 212 students and six RAs. In the fall of 2007, it became a "residential college". In 1879, Goddard Hall, on the east side of Washington Square Park, was an apartment building solely for bachelors. Known as the âBenedick,â referencing a character who was a confirmed bachelor in Shakespeareâs Much Ado About Nothing, the building housed many notable creative people, including painters George Maynard and Winslow Homer. NYU converted the Benedick into a residence hall in the late 1920s and renamed it in honor of benefactor and famed movie star Paulette Goddard.
Lipton Hall: Formerly a law school residence, Lipton was one of the university's first residence halls. It is now exclusively for freshmen. It is located at 33 Washington Square West. Lipton holds 700 students and 15 RAs. The Holley Chambers Hotel at 33 Washington Square West tapped the brookâs subterranean waters to create a fountain in its lobby. Later, the hotel became NYUâs Lipton Hall, which once featured a swimming pool where law students could unwind in between exams.
Rubin Hall: Located at 35 Fifth Avenue, across from Church of the Ascension (New York). It houses 688 students and 15 RAs.
Third Avenue North: The largest first-year residence hall at NYU and one of the largest in the United States, housing 952 freshmen. "Third North" is located at 75 Third Avenue and is split into three towers.
Weinstein Hall: The only pre-1980 residence hall that was built as a residence hall specifically for NYU students. It is located at 5-11 University Place. This freshman residence hall has a two-level dining hall. Weinstein houses 554 students and 30 RAs. Weinstein Hall opened in 1963 on University Place as the first coed residence hall on NYUâs Washington Square campus. A year after the Stonewall Riots, the Gay Activists Alliance hosted dances in Weinsteinâs basement.
Clark Street: An 11-story building located at 55 Clark Street in Brooklyn, housing over 400 students in exclusively traditional-style suites. The residence is contained in a building shared with Hotel St. George and operated by EHS, meaning that the residence houses students from universities around New York City. The St. George Hotelâwhich in the early 1930s was the worldâs largest. With 2,632 rooms, it occupied an entire city block. It also boasted an Olympic-size saltwater poolânow a fitness center available to the hallâs residentsâwhere the butterfly stroke was invented. Its world-renowned Colorama Ballroom, the largest in New York, accommodated up to 3,000 people.
Othmer Hall: An 18-story building located at 101 Johnson Street in Brooklyn, housing over 400 students in both traditional and apartment-style suites. The residence hall was acquired by NYU when it merged with Polytechnic University to form the NYU Tandon School of Engineering in 2015.
University Hall: Located in Union Square at 110 East 14th Street. It housed freshmen once more due to massive renovations at Brittany Hall.
Broome Street: Located at 400 Broome Street and houses many sophomores and juniors. In whole, Broome holds 353 students and nine RAs.
Carlyle Court: Located at 25 Union Square West.
Coral Towers: Located at 129 Third Avenue.
Gramercy Green: Located on the northeast corner of 23rd Street and 3rd Avenue. Gramercy Green is a converted luxury condo building, which is why the residence boasts numerous amenities not held in traditional 'college dorms.' These amenities include a private gym, granite countertops, marble bathroom fixtures, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Greenwich Hotel: Largely a sophomore residence hall and is located at 636 Greenwich Street.
Lafayette Hall: Located at 80 Lafayette Street. "Laf" is the largest residence hall at NYU, housing 1000+ students.
Palladium Hall: Located at 140 East 14th Street and houses upperclassmen and Stern's full-time MBA students. It contains a dining area and an athletic center, which is open to the general NYU community. In 1997 the building was demolished to make way for a 12-story NYU dorm housing over 1,100 students.
Second Street: A small residence hall with a large percentage of its residents being returning students. It is located at 1 East Second Street.
Seventh Street: A small residence hall that houses mostly juniors and seniors. Its address is 40 East Seventh Street.
13th Street: Located at 47 West 13th Street. It has four RAs and 180 residents.
Cliff Street: Was located at 15 Cliff Street and was one of two undergraduate residence halls in the Financial District.
Water Street: Formerly known as NYU at the Seaport, was an upperclassmen residence hall.
D'Agostino Hall: Located at 110 West Third St.
130 MacDougal Street: A two-building law school residence also known as the "Alcott Houses".
Hayden Hall: Located at 240 Mercer Street.

NYU's Impact on Greenwich Village

NYU's presence in Greenwich Village has not been without controversy. The university's expansion has led to friction with residents, particularly regarding the demolition or purchase of historic buildings.

GVSHPâs 2011 Halloween Contest Entry highlights that NYU has also destroyed a lot of incredible and beloved historic buildings and institutions along the way. NYUâs post-war path of destruction began with the loss of Genius Row in 1948. This row of Greek Revival homes lined Washington Square Park South between West Broadway (now LaGuardia Place) and Thompson Street.

Two cultural institutions lost to NYU on 14th Street are Luchowâs and The Palladium. Luchowâs was a German restaurant/beer garden. The building was demolished in 1995, despite efforts to landmark the Victorian building. In 1997 the building was demolished to make way for a 12-story NYU dorm housing over 1,100 students.

Safety and Security

The Washington Square News asked NYU community members what they thought about the universityâs response to the recent intruders at multiple residence halls. A man unaffiliated with NYU dodged security and entered Alumni Hall and Coral Tower.

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