Women’s housing at Pacific University has historically been very important for female students and their families sending them to school. It provided them a safe place to live while attending a school that also admitted men. Into the 1980s, all unmarried women in Pacific’s undergraduate program were required to live in on-campus housing. The first residence hall built on campus was an all-female dorm, Herrick Hall, in 1883. The original Herrick Hall burned down in 1906 but was rebuilt in 1907 and stayed as the only all-female residence hall until Walter Hall was built in 1958 and, later, Clark Hall in 1966. Rules for women living in the residence halls were very strict, requiring them to report many things to the Dean of Women including nights away, visitors, doctor visits, and any absences from meals. There were also many leadership positions that could be held by the women and a constitution that they all had to agree to when moving into the hall. Generally, the halls also hosted many social events such as dinners and dances throughout the year.
First Women's Hall
Women's Hall Burns, 1906
Inside 2nd Women's Hall
Women's Rules 1914
Herrick Hall Meeting
Herrick Hall, 1947
Walter Hall, 1966
Clark Hall room, 1980
