West Hall is a building on the campus of

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

in Lubbock,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. It was designed by noted American architect

Wyatt C. Hedrick Wyatt Cephus Hedrick (December 17, 1888 in Chatham, Virginia, Chatham, Virginia – May 5, 1964 in Houston, Texas) was an American architect, engineer, and Real estate development, developer most active in Texas and the American South. He began ...

.Griggs, Brian H. (2020). Opus in Brick and Stone: The Architectural and Planning Heritage of Texas Tech University. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press.Spurrier, J. (2003). Foundations: The Names on the Bricks, Texas Techsan, July–August, 2003, p.10-11. Originally designated “Men’s Dormitory #1”, the building was subsequently renamed West Hall after

James Marion West Sr. James Marion West Sr. (May 2, 1871 – August 24, 1941) was a wealthy Houston, Texas, businessman who substantially influenced the city's development during the early 20th century. He came to Texas as a boy from Mississippi in 1880. He grew up ...

, a Texas businessman and philanthropist who was a member of the university's board.

History

When the university opened in 1925, it was without residential facilities, and students either commuted from their own homes or resided with local residents.Malouf, Mary. (2007). Strive for Honor: Texas Tech’s Past, Present and Future. Nashville, TN: Brookings Group. Although dormitories were included in the initial master plan for the college developed by W.W. Watkin, initial student enrollment and state appropriations delayed creation of housing on campus for some time. After several attempts to get financial support, then Tech President

Bradford Knapp Bradford Knapp (December 24, 1870 – June 11, 1938) was the President of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now known as Auburn University from 1928 to 1933. Biography Bradford Knapp was born in Vinton, Iowa, on December 24, 1870, to Seaman A. K ...

garnered Federal support for the creation of the building via

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...

funding.Barwinkel, Sarah J. (February 26, 2010). Breaking Ground to Keep from Breaking Down: How the New Deal Kept the Texas Tech Campus Moving Forward in the 1930’s. Paper presented at the West Texas Historical Association Annual Meeting, Fort Worth, Texas.Texas Technological College Board of Directors. (1933). Board Minutes, Volume 3, p. 400. Knapp was acquainted with the President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and this relationship aided in securing funds for this and related PWA projects for the university. In the initial campus master plan, Watkin proposed smaller, two-story structures of ornate Spanish architecture with clay tile roofs for the resident halls. Given the realities of the

Depression-era The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The Financial contagion, ...

funding, a larger three-story flat-roof structure was eventually constructed. A second residence hall, Women's Dormitory #1 (now Doak Hall), was conceived and funded by the PWA at the same time. Both were designed by Watkin during a time when the bulk of his work was for the PWA. His work for the PWA was so extensive, he had moved himself and his family into the Mayflower Hotel in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. Watkin, his colleagues, and their families lived in the hotel in one set of rooms, while the team worked on drafting tables in others. West and Doak sit across from one another on Broadway. The buildings were noted in a

Life (magazine) ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...

article highlighting PWA and other Federal Aid projects in its January 4, 1937 edition. The building would be later named West Hall in honor of James Marion West, Sr. who served on the board of the university from 1935 to 1941 and chaired it during the period from 1940 to 1941. After serving as a dorm, the building was subsequently converted to more administrative duties, and after an update and remodel in 2006 by Adling and Associates, the building now houses the Texas Tech Visitors Center and the Texas Tech Office of Admissions. The building is one of several included in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Texas Technological College Historic District.

Gallery

Image:James Marion West, Sr..jpg, James Marion West, Sr., former member and President of the Texas Tech Board, for whom the building is named. Image:West Hall at Texas Tech Entry Detail.jpg, Detail of the main entrance to West Hall in 2019 Image:West Hall Sign Texas Tech.jpg, West Hall Sign

References

{{Reflist Texas Tech University buildings Texas Technological College Historic District Buildings and structures in Lubbock County, Texas University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas