Harrison Hall is a former student dormitory located on the campus of

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) is a public community college with its main campus in Perkinston, Mississippi. It was founded as Harrison County Agricultural High School in 1912. MGCCC has three campuses and six centers: The ma ...

Perkinston, Mississippi Perkinston is an unincorporated community in central Stone County, Mississippi, United States. It is situated along U.S. Highway 49, approximately five miles south of Wiggins. The community is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Met ...

. It was constructed in 1936-37, and was designated a

Mississippi Landmark The following is a list of Mississippi Landmarks officially nominated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and approved by each county's chancery clerk. The Mississippi Landmark designation is the highest form of recognition bestow ...

in 2003. Following renovation in 2018, the building was repurposed to house administrative offices.

History

Harrison Hall was designed by Gulfport architect Vinson Smith and was constructed in 1936-37 by building contractor Newton and Schmoll of

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The city popu ...

. The two-story building was renovated in 1974, and air conditioning was incorporated into the design.Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Catalog (2013-14)
Retrieved 2014-01-31 From 1937 to 1983, Harrison Hall served as a dormitory for female students. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College—Action Alumni News (Spring 2010)
Retrieved 2014-01-31 In 1983, the building became a men's residence hall. Following approval of remodeling plans by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to insure historical integrity, renovation of the 81-year-old building was completed in 2018. After a dedication ceremony on April 18, 2018, Harrison Hall became the District Office Headquarters for Gulf Coast Community College.

Weddings

During the 46 years that Harrison Hall functioned as a women's residence hall, the lobby was often the focal point of "manless weddings". Sullivan, Charles. 2002. Archival Odyssey No. 7—Manless Weddings and Womanless Weddings, pg 6, ''In:'' In Touch with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Retrieved 2014-01-30 These were major social events on campus and were elaborate affairs, usually sponsored by student organizations, such as the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

. The "weddings" were attended by faculty, students, and out-of-town guests.

References

{{reflist Mississippi Landmarks Buildings and structures in Stone County, Mississippi University and college buildings completed in 1937 University and college dormitories in the United States 1937 establishments in Mississippi