Residence Facilities >> Housing History

Housing Claims Unique Spot in UF History

Two housing facilities figure prominently in UF's past, as together they comprised the entirety of campus facilities — classrooms, laboratories, libraries, dormitories, et al. That was 1906, but today these two buildings are strictly residence halls, and they are...

BUCKMAN HALL [ more info ]

THOMAS HALL [ more info ]

Looking back at Housing through the years includes visiting facilities that now only exist as a part of history — facilities that are Gone But Not Forgotten:

Thousands of University of Florida alumni lived in campus facilities that no longer exist. Converted army barracks, former military buildings, trailers, and converted Gainesville residences both on and near campus were among the facilities temporarily owned or rented and managed by the University.

Following WWII, the University of Florida experienced a rapid enrollment increase caused by the influx of WWII veterans returning to the University on the GI bill. Then in 1947, the University began to formally admit women and needed on campus accommodations for the women. The original plan was to erect temporary facilities on campus or to rent and manage existing facilities in Gainesville to be used between five to ten years until permanent facilities could be built or until the enrollment growth stabilized. In many cases, the temporary facilities were needed much beyond their anticipated life of five to ten years.

Click the facility name for a more detailed history:

Flavets (1945 - 1974) — Converted prefabricated military housing units used to house veterans and their families following WWII.
Temporary Frame Residence Halls (1946 - late 1960s) — One-story frame buildings erected at various locations on campus to house freshmen men.
Grove Hall (1946 - 1977) — Former military building from Camp Blanding that was reconstructed on campus.
Lonilair & Michael Halls/Pierce & Patrick Courts (1948 - 1950) — Leased off-campus houses used to house women while Mallory, Yulee, and Reid Halls were being built.
The King’s House (1954 - 1967) — Two frame buildings on University Avenue used to house men, married students with families, or staff.
Trailervet Village/Alachua Army Air Base/Stengel Air Field (Following WWII) — Trailers and converted barracks used to house men, married students, and some faculty.
Yon Hall (1966 - 1996) — Housing for male student athletes.
Schucht Village (1958 - 1997) — Graduate and family housing apartment unit near Shands Hospital.
Hume Hall (1958 - 2000) — Large residence hall on the corner of Museum Road and North/South Drive formerly on the site of the Honors Residential College at Hume Hall.

Detailed Histories

Flavets

Between 1945 and 1949, the University purchased one- and two-story prefabricated housing units from the federal government that were formerly used for military housing. The buildings were moved to campus and erected at three locations. This housing was specifically to be used as housing for married veterans and their families. Low cost apartment-style housing for families was not available in Gainesville at the time. Because the Flavet facilities were temporary, the Dept. of Housing was able to name them without going through formal dedication procedures. They were called “Flavets,” a contraction of the phrase “Florida veterans,” and numbered. Flavet I was located in the vicinity of the J. Wayne Reitz Union. Flavet II was located where Beaty Towers and the Housing Office are now. Flavet III was located where the Keys Residential Complex was built in 1991.

One hundred housing units were purchased from the Federal Public Housing Authority in 1946 for $1 and transported to campus from the shipyards at Panama City for $250,000 (some sources report $208,488). These units became Flavet I. Flavet II consisted of 76 units with a purchase price of $290,369.

Flavet III is probably the best remembered area because of its size, community reputation, and longevity. Approximately 50 two-story frame buildings from Drew Field, an abandoned air base near Tampa, were purchased for $1,343,188. Paul Smith Construction Company from Tampa converted the buildings to 428 units that housed approximately 1400 students and their families. The Flavet III community had its own free weekly newspaper called The Municipality, its own volunteer fire department, its own student government, and its own general store. The sense of community was so developed and rents were so reasonable, that residents often minimized the substandard accommodations and spoke highly of the experience of living in Flavet III. Common concerns included pest problems, repair of facilities, grounds, assignment of non-veterans to the facility, fire safety equipment, utility costs, and concerns related to child welfare like open drainage pipes, school bus service, and open crawl spaces under the units.

Technically, the Flavets were not the first on campus housing available to married students. According to former Director of Off Campus Housing Carl Opp in a guest column in the Independent Florida Alligator from the mid-1970’s, by mid 1945, the military detachments were gone from the Murphree Area and GIs were beginning to return to college. The five Murphree Area residence halls were less than one-half full, so the decision was made to rent Murphree Hall suites to married couples. All lower floor suites in Murphree Hall were occupied by couples; single men lived on the fourth floor. One “coed” section was designated with single men on the upper floors and the first postwar coeds on the lower floors.

In March 1946, Murphree couples were notified that they had to move out of Murphree Hall by September 1946. Flavet I was ready for occupancy and Flavet II was to open by October 1946. This notice affected ninety-nine couples and caused an immediate backlash from students who did not want to move. The notice was immediately modified. Couples with children had to move from Murphree Hall to Flavet I or II by October 1946. Couples in Murphree Hall without children were allowed to stay in Murphree until Flavet III was ready for occupancy in December 1947.

In 1965-66, Flavets I and II were sold to Mid-State Engineers, Inc. of Tampa at a cost of $1,670.00 for 100 units. The units were to be moved, rejuvenated, and sold as lake cottages. The units were in such poor repair at this point that the city of Gainesville, fearing that local landlords would purchase the units and move them near campus as student rentals, pressured the University to stipulate in their contract with Mid-State that the units could not be resold to be used within the Gainesville city limits. The contract clause could be viewed as a formality as most experts agreed that the buildings would have never passed the Gainesville building code enforcement inspections.

Flavet III was razed in 1974 when the University entered into an agreement to lease/purchase Tanglewood Village. Director of Housing James Hennessey delayed the demolition of most of Flavet III from Spring 1972 to January 1974 following protests from Flavet III residents. The move from Flavet III to permanent facilities would have doubled the rent residents were paying. Because of fire hazards, section 3 of Flavet III was immediately demolished.

From 1974-1990, the former site of Flavet III was used as an unpaved parking lot for freshmen and sophomores. The lot was officially named Red D but was called Flavet by staff and students. In 1990 the site was used for the construction of the Keys Residential Complex.

From A History of UF Residence Halls (Revised 2nd Edition)

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Temporary Frame Residence Halls

In 1946, one-story frame buildings were erected in various locations on campus to serve as temporary office and residence facilities until more permanent facilities could be constructed. Eleven of these facilities were used to house freshmen men. Four temporary halls were located in the vicinity of the Computer Science and Engineering College; seven halls were located in the O’Connell Center area.

Each temporary frame residence hall contained double rooms and a public lounge area. Freshmen men were not required to accept assignment to the facilities. However, once they did commit to the assignment, they were required to live on campus through the contract period. Residents could request transfer to permanent facilities on a space-available basis.

The facilities were gradually removed. Some of the facilities in the O’Connell Center area were still being used in the late 1960s.

From A History of UF Residence Halls (Revised 2nd Edition)

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Grove Hall

Grove Hall was a former military building from Camp Blanding that was reconstructed on campus in 1946 in the area where the Architecture College and Fine Arts Complex now stand. The name of the facility was a functional name probably in reference to the many pecan trees in this area of campus.

Grove Hall had several different features than the temporary frame halls. Grove Hall was a 24,038 square foot, two-story frame building of single rooms; Grove Annex at nearly 5,000 square feet was built in 1950-51 and contained double rooms and faculty offices. Approximately 206 men, predominantly freshmen, were originally assigned to the facility from 1946-1950. From 1950-54 women were assigned. From 1954-55 the facility was again designated a men’s residence hall.

Based on demand, from 1955-62 the facility housed either men or women. The facility was not used to house students after 1963. By 1977, the facility was razed in preparation for the construction of the Architecture College and Fine Arts Complex. In 1950, rental rates for this facility were $76.50 per semester for a single room and $50 per semester for a double room.

From A History of UF Residence Halls (Revised 2nd Edition)

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Lonilair & Michael Halls/Pierce & Patrick Courts

While Yulee, Mallory, and Reid Halls were being built (1948-50), the University leased off-campus housing for women. These facilities were Lonilair and Michael Halls at 1213-1244 West Mechanic Street and Patrick and Pierce Courts at the intersection of Colson Street and Lafayette Avenue. The approximate present-day location of both facilities is north of University Avenue near Anderson Hall and Library West. No housing support staff was provided. According to University of Florida President J. Hillis Miller, common complaints about the off-campus accommodations for women were that they were overcrowded, excessive rent was charged in comparison to the men’s on campus residences, there were poor study conditions, and there were no public areas or large group meeting rooms.

From A History of UF Residence Halls (Revised 2nd Edition)

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The King’s House

In the Summer of 1954, the University of Florida purchased two white frame buildings at 1510 and 1504 West University Avenue and turned them over to the Dept. of Housing to manage. Each building was two and one-half stories. The facility at 1510 West University Avenue contained three apartment units. Two of the units housed married students with families; the remaining unit housed a University staff member. The facility at 1504 West University Avenue was considered to be an “experimental unit.” Seventeen men representing all academic classifications were assigned to the facility. No student counselor or staff was assigned to the facility. The men were encouraged to establish their own student government and be as self-supporting as possible.

The living environment at 1504 West University Avenue was so positively received by the men that they soon came to Interim Director of Housing Dyckman Vermilye with a request to name the facility The King’s House. Vermilye forwarded the request to Dr. A.P. Black, Chair of the Committee on Naming Buildings, in the form of a memorandum. The request assured Dr. Black that the name would be used unofficially and the facility would continue to be referred to as Building 880 or Temporary Building CJ in any official correspondence.

By 1960, the King’s House population dwindled to 12 residents. Between 1961 and 1966 only 9 men lived in the residence. By 1967, the Dept. of Housing was no longer housing residents in this facility.

From A History of UF Residence Halls (Revised 2nd Edition)

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Trailervet Village/Alachua Army Air Base/Stengel Air Field

Following WWII, temporary housing for men, married students, and some faculty was located at the Alachua Army Air Base and Stengel Air Field and managed by the University. The Alachua Army Air Base was located where the Gainesville Municipal Airport is today. Butler Plaza and Archer Square Shopping Centers are the approximate present-day locations of Stengel Air Field. Facilities consisted of trailers in Trailervet Village and converted barracks at the Alachua Army Air Base. Faculty apartments were constructed at Stengel Air Field. Approximately 800-1000 men were housed in converted barrack apartments and trailers. A University operated shuttle bus service was available to residents.

From A History of UF Residence Halls (Revised 2nd Edition)

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Yon Hall

Yon Hall was built in 1966-67 to house male student athletes at the University of Florida and was located in the east side of the football stadium. The project was part of the 1965 expansion of the east side of the stadium and included a dining hall, athletic department student services offices, and study lounges. The University Athletic Department funded the project and operated the facility independently from other on-campus student residences.

The 112 room facility was dedicated on October 7, 1967, to honor Colonel Everett Marion Yon who excelled in several sports at the University of Florida. According to dedication materials, Yon was a guard on the football team in 1914-15 and an outfielder on the baseball team in 1915-16. He was selected captain of the baseball team in 1917 but left before the season began to serve in the military during WWI. While in military service, Yon earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Legion of Merit. He returned to UF in 1923 as the Offensive Line Coach under General Van Fleet. He served as the Director of Athletics from 1923-26. Yon developed and initiated the program of private support to the University Athletic Association.

At the 1991 Convention, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) adopted a ruling eliminating all athletic residence halls on university campuses by August 1, 1996. The Springs Residential Complex was built in part to assist with the reassignment of male student athletes to residence facilities when Yon Hall was closed in 1995. Previous to this ruling, some student athletes were already housed in residence facilities. Today, student athletes are housed in Sledd Hall, Tolbert Hall, the Keys Residential Complex, the Springs Residential Complex, and Lakeside Residential Complex. Furniture and mattresses from Yon Hall were donated to the Hope for the Holidays program through the Alachua County Volunteer Center.

The Yon Hall area of the stadium was renovated for use as offices for a variety of University departments including the Student Health Care Center and Civil and Coastal Engineering.

From A History of UF Residence Halls (Revised 2nd Edition)

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Schucht Village

Schucht Village was dedicated to the memory of Hubert Carl Schucht, President of the University of Florida Student Body (1936-37) in 1958. According to dedication materials, Schucht was a member of A.T.O. Fraternity, a member of Florida Blue Key, and a member of the varsity football team. He helped establish a student loan fund which was later named in honor of Dean Benjamin Tolbert. The loan fund initially contained $300 which had accumulated to $30,000 by 1958. Schucht was killed in action in France in August 1944.

Schucht Village was more formally called Hubert C. Schucht Memorial Village. Schucht Village originally was built to house veterans and their families who returned to school after WWII. In 1959, 24 percent of the student body was married. The formal name reflects the decision to name the facility in honor of a former University of Florida veteran.

The architect for both Schucht and Corry Villages was Guy Fulton. Both facilities cost $1,854,004 to construct. Rental rates were $54-$60 per month when the facility opened in March 1959. At that time in Gainesville, there were approximately 2000 apartments available for rent, but few students could afford off campus rental rates. Before Schucht Village and Corry Village were completed, there were 607 units in temporary buildings (Flavets) available on campus specifically for rental to married veterans only. The units were available on a first come, first served basis except in Schucht Village where preference was given to medical students. Assignment priority in Schucht Village to medical, dental, and veterinary students because of its location next to Shands Hospital was continued until 1994. However, assignment preference to married veterans was discontinued after demand from this population dwindled following the end of the Korean War.

Soon after opening, Schucht Village residents filed a protest about “unfit, unclean, and unhealthy” living conditions. No monies for landscaping were appropriated when Corry and Schucht Villages were built. After they were completed, no landscaping monies were immediately available from Physical Plant Grounds Department. The land was graded and smoothed after construction, but no grass or bushes were planted. Subsequently, during the late spring rains, topsoil was washed away leaving rocks, gullies, and standing stagnant water as well as an unfenced creek bordering the Schucht community. Residents’ children were experiencing numerous scrapes, bruises, cuts requiring stitches, and other assorted injuries as they played outside.

From the 1970s through the 1990s, Schucht Village housed graduate students and married couples without dependents. The facility included 56 one-bedroom and 48 two-bedroom air-conditioned, furnished apartments. Limited utilities were included in the rental rate. The area also included a commons room, basketball courts, and other recreational area.

In 1994 following years of negotiation, Schucht Village was to be reassigned to Shands Teaching College per an agreement finalized in August 1993. Shands was to pay $4.665 million to the Dept. of Housing for the facility and the land. Shands administrators planned to raze the facility and use the land to construct a chiller plant and parking garage in support of Shands Teaching Hospital and the Health Science Center. Dept. of Housing staff began preparing for the closing of this facility by notifying present residents of the need to move to other on campus facilities or terminate leases. As apartments emptied, Dept. of Housing staff began to remove furniture, appliances, and repair parts for use in other facilities. Plans were in process to build a replacement facility by 1998 near Lake Alice and Corry Village. The site location for the Schucht Village replacement facility near Lake Alice was vehemently opposed by a small but vocal group of environmentalists who called themselves the Friends of Lake Alice. In June 1994, Shands administrators abruptly withdrew their offer. Dept. of Housing staff scrambled to renovate, repair, re-staff, and re-occupy the facility by August 1994 to minimize losses in rental income since August 1993, losses related to the scavenging of the facility, and losses incurred in the planning of the replacement facility.

In 1997, Dept. of Housing administrators were approached again by administrators from Shands about the Schucht property. Administrators reached an agreement to transfer the property that included a payment of $3.3 million to the University of Florida to be used to renovate other existing student housing facilities. However, no replacement facility for Schucht Village was planned at that time. Dept. of Housing staff again began preparing for the closing of this facility by notifying residents of the need to move to other on-campus facilities or terminate leases. All buildings but Building #271 were razed by Fall 1997 to build a four-story, 800-space parking garage for the hospital. Building #271 was renovated by Shands for use as housing for approximately 30 transplant patients. This building was named “The Gerold L. Schiebler/Shands Transplant Housing Complex” in 2002 in honor of Dr. Schiebler, a noted retired University of Florida pediatrician who continues to serve Shands, the University of Florida, and the community through his activism in health issues.

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Hume Hall

Hume Hall was dedicated to the memory of H. (Hadratha) Harold Hume, University of Florida Dean of the College of Agriculture, Provost for Agriculture, and Acting President of the University. Hume was employed by the University from 1930-1949. According to dedication materials, his writings and research in the field of horticulture established him as one of the University’s most distinguished scholars. Hume was originally from Canada and became a U.S. citizen in 1912. The H. Harold Hume Library in McCarty Hall is also dedicated to Hume’s memory.

At the time Hume Hall was dedicated, Director of Housing Harold Riker proposed that the sixteen sections of Hume Hall be given names rather than numerical designation. At this time, Riker was continuing his research in the area of student development. He argued that the use of names rather than numbers would strengthen tradition, group spirit, and the students’ sense of belonging. Dean of Students R.C. Beaty supported the proposal. The proposal suggested that each “house” or “section” as they came to be called could be named after past presidents of the student body. The proposal was accepted in theory, but many names were considered before the sixteen sections of Hume Hall were finally named. In a letter dated October 10, 1959, University of Florida President J. Wayne Reitz stated that the 16 sections of Hume Hall were named for distinguished faculty members “to emphasize the importance of scholarship, but also to vitalize the fine traditions of the University in the minds of hundreds of students who will live in these sections over the years to come.” The following are excerpts from the dedication ceremony:

First Floor East: Charles Elliot ABBOTT. Abbott was Professor of Horticulture, specializing in citrus. His favorite hobby was fishing. Deceased 1947.
First Floor East Central: Truman C. BIGHAM. Bigham was Professor of Economics and Chair of Graduate Work in the College of Business Administration. He was an outstanding scholar and an inspiration to his graduate students and colleagues. Deceased 1952.
First Floor West: Robert Spratt COCKRELL. Cockrell was a member of the Florida Supreme Court and taught in the College of Law from 1919-1940. Deceased 1957.
First Floor West Central: Lucius Moody BRISTOL. Bristol, Professor-Emeritus of Sociology, spent many years during his retirement in research on the history of the University. Retired 1945.
Second Floor East: Charles Langley CROW. Crow was a rugged individualist who believed that the study of ancient languages was the beginning of wisdom. His disciplined mind left its mark on students and faculty alike. He contributed important manuscripts to the University concerning its history. Deceased about 1940.
Second Floor East Central: Hasse Octavius ENWALL. Enwall was the first head of the Department of Philosophy. He was a great teacher who inspired students to live nobly and to achieve intellectual excellence. Retired 1945.
Second Floor West: Leonard William GADDUM. Gaddum was the first head of Physical Sciences. He was a brilliant physicist who built one of the first spectrometers. Deceased 1954.
Second Floor West Central: Albert John FARRAH. Farrah was the first Dean of the College of Law. Deceased 1944.
Third Floor East: Ferd Harvey HEATH. Heath was Professor of Chemistry. Deceased 1952.
Third Floor East Central: Vestus Twiggs JACKSON. Jackson was Professor of Chemistry. Deceased 1950.
Third Floor West: Wilbert Alva LITTLE. Little began his teaching career at age seventeen and came to the University following the completion of his graduate work. He was a Professor of Ancient Languages. Deceased 1951.
Third Floor West Central: H.G. KEPPEL. Keppel was Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy from 1908-1918. He died during the flu epidemic while assisting in the mathematics programs set up by the National War Council of the Y.M.C.A. Deceased 1918.
Fourth Floor East: Paul Mathew TEDDER. Tedder was a Research Professor and Section Head in the College of Engineering. His contribution to war efforts was recognized by the federal government. His record of achievement is inscribed in the Congressional Record. Deceased 1956.
Fourth Floor East Central: John Edwin TURLINGTON. Turlington was the first head of the Department of Agricultural Economics. Deceased 1934.
Fourth Floor West: Wilbur Fish YOCUM. Yocum, President of the Florida Agricultural College, served many years in the College of Education when the University was moved to Gainesville. Deceased 1924.
Fourth Floor West Central: Philip Osborne YEATON. Yeaton was a Professor of Industrial Engineering from 1927-1947. Deceased 1956.

The sixteen sections in Hume Hall retained their original names through 2000 though the section names and section numbers were used interchangeably.

Hume Hall opened in 1958. On November 3, 1962, Graham, Hume, Simpson, Trusler, East, Rawlings, and Jennings Halls were dedicated in a combined program at Jennings Hall. The architect for the seven facilities was Guy Fulton. All seven facilities were constructed for $8.5 million.

The Faculty-in-Residence program was initiated Fall 1986 in Hume Hall. Since then, two tenured faculty members in residence have held joint appointments between their academic colleges and the Dept. of Housing. Dr. Joseph Regna, Associate Professor of Recreation/Parks/Tourism, held the position for the first two years. Dr. Glenn Butler, Professor of Journalism/Communication, has been Faculty-In-Residence since 1988. Each resided on Ground Floor West to provide academic counseling, academic programming, and other similar support services as well as role model academic success. In 2000, the Faculty-In-Residence program was moved to the Lakeside Residential Complex when Hume Hall was razed.

Hume Hall was part of the Graham/Hume Area. Graham/Hume Area became coed in 1963 when Graham Hall became the first women’s hall on the west side of campus. Hume Hall housed men until 1967 when the facility became coed by wing. The east wing housed women; the west wing housed men. Then the facility was designated coed by section within each wing. By Fall 1969, a $1.28 million renovation project converted Hume, Simpson, Trusler, Graham, Weaver, East, North, South, and Tolbert Halls to air-conditioned facilities. Standard occupancy in this air-conditioned facility was 636 residents.

In 1998, two proposals were considered that would significantly impact the future of Hume Hall. One proposal called for the gutting of the facility with a major renovation project to update and renovate the existing facility. Another proposal included the demolition of the existing facility with a new residence facility to be constructed on the site. After much review and discussion, administrators decided it would be more cost effective in the long term to demolish Hume and build a new facility in its place. Hume was razed Fall 2000. The Honors Residential College at Hume Hall was opened in its place Fall 2002.

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