Radford Hall

Name

Namesake: Frank W. Radford

Radford was a one-time Regent and president of The Radford Company, a prominent sash and door manufacturer. In addition, to honoring Radford as a member of the Board of Regents, the name was appropriate as it was Radford’s own land that served as the building’s foundation.

On February 7, 1952, the Board of Regents passed the name Radford Hall by resolution. The same resolution included the remaining approvals for other campus buildings: Dempsey Hall, Harrington Hall, Oviatt House and Pollock House. Perhaps due to Radford Hall’s namesake, the same resolution included the approvals of the renaming of Dempsey Hall and Harrington Hall, because all three buildings honor members of the Board of Regents.

Completion Date: 1952

Cost: $561,000.00

Renovation Date: Third Floor added 1956, 1967 retrofitted for Health Services and offices.

Original Purpose of Building: Women’s dormitory.

Current Use: Presently, Radford Hall comprises English Department offices, the Health Center and computer lab.

History

Built in 1952, Radford Hall was the first new building added since the late 1920s. It was also the first dormitory built by the school and represented a new trend in campus life at Oshkosh.  With a new liberal arts curriculum and more and more students enrolling, the school began to plan for a real residential experience, earlier experiments with dormitories at the Oviatt and Pollock Houses notwithstanding.  After Radford came an almost never ending two decades of newly constructed dormitories, dining halls and recreational facilities.  

Originally, the Radford dorm provided space for 80 residents, however in 1956, a third floor was added to accommodate more people. A dining room was built into Radford and hallway connecting the building to the Pollock house allowed residents of that house to travel to take their meals without going outside.  No state funds were involved in building Radford Hall as the school used an oft repeated process of having renters through a self-amortizing corporation to service the construction's debt. 

In 1967, Radford was converted into faculty offices for the English Department and facilities for the campus Health Center. 

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