Celebrating 150: The Residence Halls

Students watch television in a residence hall lounge circa 1959. Photo courtesy of the Special Collections Department in Pickler Memorial Library.

Truman has always been known as a residential campus, but that does not mean students always resided on campus.

In the early days, most students lived off campus. Grim Hall was a residence for a long period of time, but it was primarily housing for nurses when it opened in 1923. According to “Founding the Future: A History of Truman State University,” campus housing began in 1947 when the University received a grant to convert nine army barracks to campus apartments.

By the 1950s, most men still lived off campus, and the residence halls were occupied by women. The 1960s saw a boom in residence hall construction. Five buildings opened during that decade, starting with Dobson Hall in 1961 and ending with Centennial Hall in 1967. After that, it would be another 39 years before a new residence hall, West Campus Suites, would be built. Since that time, all of the residence halls have undergone renovations.

During an average year, 98 percent of freshmen live on campus, and a total of more than 2,800 students occupy the residence halls.   


Students in their dorm room in the BNB complex circa 1959. Photo courtesy of the Special Collections Department in Pickler Memorial Library.