A Comprehensive Look at UCLA's Residential Landscape: From Hershey Hall to the Hill

Introduction

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has a rich history of providing on-campus housing for its students. From its humble beginnings with Hershey Hall to the sprawling residential complexes known as "the Hill," UCLA has continuously evolved its housing options to meet the needs of its diverse student body. This article delves into the history and evolution of UCLA's residential life, exploring the various housing options available to undergraduate and graduate students.

Early Beginnings: Hershey Hall

UCLA's residential history began with Hershey Hall, the university's original residence hall. Located on Hilgard Avenue in South Campus, Hershey Hall was named in honor of Mira Hershey, whose generous bequest of $300,000 enabled the construction of the all-women's dormitory. The original Hershey Hall, dating back to the 1930s, remains in use today as an academic building, a testament to its enduring legacy. A west wing addition was added in 1959, expanding the building's capacity and functionality.

The Rise of the Hill

Student life on the Hill is under the care of Residential Life (ResLife), formerly called "Office of Residential Life (ORL)". The Hill, a sprawling complex of residence halls, has become synonymous with the UCLA undergraduate experience. Over the years, the Hill has undergone significant expansion and renovation to accommodate the growing student population.

Northwest Campus In-fill Project

Starting in 2009, the Hill underwent the Northwest Campus In-fill Project, a major undertaking that added 1,525 beds, 10 faculty in-residence apartments, a 750-seat dining hall, and four residential towers. Two of these buildings, Holly Ridge and Gardenia Way, which are part of De Neve Plaza, opened in February 2012. The other two, Sproul Cove and Sproul Landing, were completed in September 2013. Sproul Cove stands on the previously unoccupied ridge below Rieber Hall.

Recent Additions: Olympic and Centennial Halls

In 2021, UCLA completed the construction of two additional residence halls on the Hill: Olympic Hall and Centennial Hall. These halls were built on an empty ridge between the Saxon and Hitch suites. Named in honor of the 2028 Summer Olympics to be held in Los Angeles, for which UCLA will provide athlete housing, Olympic Hall has 9 stories and aided in accomplishing UCLA's goal of providing 4 years of guaranteed housing to undergraduate students. Centennial Hall, named in honor of UCLA's centennial in 2019, was also completed in 2021 and stands as the newest addition to the Hill's residence halls alongside Olympic Hall.

The Structure of the Hill

The Hill is divided into smaller complexes, each organized around a common open space and offering its own student services, buffet-style dining halls, and quick-service restaurants. Students are permitted to dine at any eatery on the Hill, fostering a sense of community and providing diverse culinary options.

De Neve Plaza

Front desk services, as well as classrooms and conference facilities, are located in De Neve Commons. Dykstra Hall, built in 1959, was the first dorm located on the Hill, as well as the first co-ed residence hall in the United States. The hall is named after UCLA Provost Clarence Dykstra. Though classified as its own separate building, it is considered part of De Neve Plaza for practical purposes, since it is adjacent to the De Neve buildings and physically connected to De Neve Commons (which also happens to be contiguous with Acacia View and Birch Heights).

Hedrick Court

The building's own dining option, "The Study at Hedrick", a takeout option connected to a 24-hour study lounge, is adjacent to the ground floor of Hedrick Hall. This building primarily houses 1st year students. This building consists of nine floors and approximately 900 people. Amenities included within this complex include a TV lounge, recreation room, study lounges and controllable AC for every individual room. Hedrick Summit does not have its own dining option. Hedrick Summit typically houses 1st, 2nd or 3rd year undergraduates or 1st year transfer students. This all-suite complex consists of four low-rise buildings, lettered A-D. It is classified as an autonomous community, but is considered part of Hedrick Court for practical purposes. The closest dining options are located in Rieber Court.

Hitch Suites

After a one-year renovation, Hitch was reopened for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Sproul Plaza

This all-suite complex consists of seven low-rise buildings, lettered E-K. The complex's main dining facility, Bruin Plate, is located in Carnesale Commons, which opened as Sproul Presidio but was later renamed after former UCLA chancellor Albert Carnesale in October 2013. A quick-service option, Bruin Café, is adjacent to the ground floor of Sproul Hall. Conference facilities are located in the Northwest Campus Auditorium, as well as Carnesale Commons.

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Canyon Point and Delta Terrace

Dining facilities include the Epicuria, formerly the Covel Commons Residential Restaurant, and quick-service option of Café 1919 adjacent to the ground floor of Delta Terrace. Canyon Point reopened following renovation during the 2013-2014 academic year. Canyon Point and Delta Terrace consist of solely "plaza shared" rooms, wherein two dorms (double or triple dorms) share a bathroom in a 'jack-and-jill' layout. Courtside, on the other hand, consists of only "plaza private" rooms, where 1 dorm (typically a double or triple) has one attached en suite bathroom. All 3 buildings are made up of 8 houses (each housing approximately 50-100 students).

Residential Styles: Halls, Plazas, and Suites

UCLA offers a variety of residential styles to cater to different student preferences. There are traditional high-rise Halls, with students grouped by floors, sharing a gender-specific bathroom with 40-50 others. Buildings of this sort include: Dykstra Hall, Hedrick Hall, Rieber Hall, and Sproul Hall. Recently, the Deluxe Residential Hall format has also been introduced, which has some features of the residential plaza, such as more spacious rooms and a thermostat in each room to control air-conditioning. The second configuration is the Plaza, which has the same general amenities as the Halls, but has more spacious rooms, and has a private bathroom or shared bathroom with an adjacent room. There are also Suites, which are standalone units supporting 4-6 students, with private bathroom and living space. The complex comprises several buildings sharing a laundry room and outdoor recreational amenities.

Residential Assistants and Community Building

Each floor or community on The Hill is overseen by one or two Residential Assistants (depending on the community size). These "RAs" are students staff who work to incorporate ResLife's "Core 5" Principles into the living environment. Typically, these RAs host "programs" (events) to encourage residents to meet each other, explore LA and be academically successful. Classic programs include visiting Santa Monica, going to the Ropes Course at Sunset Rec or getting free massages during midterms.

Graduate Student Housing

Roughly 3,000 graduate students live in one of six UCLA-owned apartment complexes or communities. Hilgard House and Weyburn Terrace provide housing for single students.

Weyburn Terrace

In 2002, the university began constructing Phase 1 of Weyburn Terrace, a seven building apartment community with 1,387 beds, in order to recruit top graduate students from around the world. Previously, there had been no university-operated graduate housing on or near the main campus since the demolition of a graduate student-only dorm damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The project suffered numerous delays, but was fully completed before the Fall 2005 term. Weyburn Terrace enables UCLA to provide housing to approximately fifty percent of incoming graduate and professional students. It also served as housing for displaced Tulane University law students who visited at UCLA during the Fall semester following Hurricane Katrina.

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Hilgard Houses

Hilgard Houses apartments consist of two complexes located on the east edge of campus on Hilgard Avenue. Each three-story building has a central courtyard, laundry room, and subterranean parking. All 81 units are furnished studio apartments with full kitchens.

University Village, Rose Avenue Apartments, Keystone/Mentone, Venice/Barry

University Village provides student community living for married students, same-sex domestic partners and single parents. Units consist of unfurnished one-, two- and three-bedrooms. Rose Avenue has 93 unfurnished units, primarily two-bedroom, located across from the University Village complex.

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