Living on Campus: An Architectural History of the American Dormitory

An exploration of the architecture of dormitories that exposes deeply held American beliefs about education, youth, and citizenship

Every fall on move-in day, parents tearfully bid farewell to their beloved sons and daughters at college dormitories: it is an age-old ritual. The residence hall has come to mark the threshold between childhood and adulthood, housing young people during a transformational time in their lives. Whether a Gothic stone pile, a quaint Colonial box, or a concrete slab...