Taylor Hall

Namesake: Hilda Taylor

As a model member of the Oshkosh State Teachers College faculty, Hilda Taylor served the school for 16 years from 1928 until her death in 1944. Already over forty when she came to Oshkosh, Taylor had taught previously at universities in North Dakota and Iowa and at high schools in North Dakota and Minnesota. Looking for an opportunity where she could make a larger impact, Taylor took the position of English department head at OSTC. While Taylor’s tenure here was somewhat brief compared with many of her peers, she made a tremendous impact among the students she served and the faculty with whom she worked. Above all else, Hilda Taylor believed in a well-rounded college experience as evidenced by her dedication to the academic rigor of the study of literature and writing as well as to the social aspects of college life.

Taylor was born on March 30th, 1883 in Indianola, Iowa, the eldest of three daughters of a college professor. Hilda and her sisters all dedicated themselves in some way to a life of education. One sister became a librarian in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and the other was a longtime missionary and teacher in China. Hilda Taylor was educated at Lennox College in Iowa, at the University of Iowa, and later at the University of Chicago where she earned her Ph.D.. As a devoted “club woman,” Taylor was a member of numerous campus and professional societies. She served the students as an advisor to the Quiver yearbook, the Kappa Gamma and Delta Pi societies, the Inter-Society Council and the Student Council. Like many of her female peers, Taylor never married; instead she dedicated herself full-time to her career, her college and her students.

Hilda Taylor was the product of a pioneering time for women in academe. Growing up in a university environment, Taylor was sure to have witnessed first-hand the struggle women faced to simply be accepted into Ph.D. programs. Her father, a college professor and later Dean, was supportive of her career in the way many of her male colleagues were not. Taylor thrived at the Oshkosh State Teachers College, which had a long tradition of coeducation and influential female instructors and educational leaders. Her dedication to her subject and craft was appreciated by all. After her death in May of 1944, the Quiver Yearbook included a moving In Memoriam dedicated to Taylor who was buried at Riverside cemetery in Oshkosh. A more permanent tribute to her memory was created in 1963 when the University’s newest dormitory was named in her honor. Dr. Taylor’s teaching and service at the university was recognized, again, on September 23, 2005 during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $13 million Taylor Hall renovation project.

Completion Date: 1963

Renovation Date: 2005 ($13M)

Primary Purpose of Building: Intended to be coed dormitory but was used as a women’s dormitory

Current Use: Coed dormitory.

History

Designed by the local architectural firm Sandstedt, Knoop and Yarbro, the unique, L-shaped building took advantage of available lots.  Originally intended to serve as a coed dormitory it was first pressed into service as the campus's largest women's dormitory. The building encloses on two sides a small yard that provided opportunities for outdoor recreation.  At one time it was a popular place for sun tanning and later a sand volleyball court was added.  

In 2005, extensive updates to Taylor Hall brought air conditioning and other improvements to each room as well as an updated and modern commons spaces including a new lobby.  The process also added 15 accessible rooms for disabled residents and an elevator.  Living in the more "luxury" environment required an additional charge to regular room rates.      

Photos