Most people in the Hiram College community are familiar with some buildings such as the first Hinsdale Hall (“Old Main”), that are no longer standing...

In the early years of the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, the Bedford Tent was rented each year for commencement. The programs usually started in the early afternoon, went on until the evening, and often had more activities the next day– regardless of the northeastern Ohio weather.

In 1878 the College completed a barn structure to provide shelter for Commencement. It became known as the Tabernacle, or more commonly, “The Tab”. It was used not only for graduation, but also…

... for social activities, guest speakers, and ...

... as an army barracks during WWI.

As better facilities became available for these events the Tabernacle outlived its usefulness and was demolished in 1928.

In 1889 the college built its second dormitory [Bowler was the first]. It was proposed as a “gentlemen’s dormitory” but by the third year it was decided that the need for “ladies” housing was great enough that the gentlemen would be better suited to rooming in boarding houses or with local families. In 1963, it was torn down and replaced by the current Miller Hall, but the memory lingers...

“... And they whisper, ‘Sweet Miller Maid,
Won’t you come out and spoon,
Here’s where your bliss is
Come get your kisses,
By the light of the Hiram Moon.”
From “By the Light of the Hiram Moon” as found in the 1933 Freshman Handbook

The YMCA Building (also known as, The Association Building) was built in 1895. In 1927 a wing was added to the west where the college’s administrative offices were located.

In 1934 a fire destroyed almost the entire building leaving just the back wall.

Within 16 months a new building was completed replacing the old Association Building. It would become known as Bates Hall in honor of former Hiram College President, Miner Lee Bates who served from 1907 to 1930.

Located on the east side of Rt. 700 across from Miller Hall [Old and/ or New] this building was built by Mr. Trowbridge in the 1890s. However, he sold it not too long after that and it would become known as the Updegraf Hotel and a boarding house for Hiram students.

After WWI, the college purchased the property, rechristened it Northview, and used it as a dormitory. Still, it was referred to as “the hotel” and the women that roomed there were known as “the hotel girls” much to the chagrin of their families.
In the 1950s Northview was converted into the infirmary until the opening of the Julia Church Health Center in 1974 when it briefly became the home of the Language Department. It was demolished in 1979.

East was located where the Coleman Recreation Center stands today. In 1947, four dormitories were bought from the Maple Grove Housing Unit at Windham. Three were used to create this one long building with the fourth used for “parts”. There was a hallway that ran the length of the building and each of the three sections had its own lounge and heating system.
With the completion of the The Quad, the college needed the space for the Price Gymnasium, the Alumni Memorial Pool, and the Field House. East was demolished in 1958.

Zollars Building was named for Ely Vaughn Zollars who was President Of Hiram College from 1888 to 1902. While the building was originally in the headquarters group within the Ravenna Arsenal Reservation it had been built late in WWII and had not received much use. Through much negotiation, the government agreed to move and rebuild the building on the campus at the bottom of the hill below where the Kennedy Center now sits.
The first purpose for this building was to serve as a headquarters for commuting students. It was also a student union and finally the offices of Physical Plant.

Within Zollars there was a privately managed eatery known as “Freddy’s Grill”. It was open from 7:00 a.m. “until one hour after the hour that the girls are required to check in at their dormitories.” “On nights when there is a basketball game or a dance the yen for a snack that usually develops after the event, can be satisfied without requiring students to leave the campus. The ‘hour after the hour’ is a shrewd provision to satisfy the male urge for a sociable cup of coffee, or a coke, after the business of perching has been completed for the evening.” [Quotes from The Hiram Broadcaster, January 1949]

Squire House was located where the Kennedy Center sits today. While the exact construction date of the building is unknown it is believed to date back to the mid-1800s.

Dr. Andrew Jackson Squire was for many years the town physician and a member of the Hiram College Board of Trustees. In 1904, after the doctor’s son Andrew moved to Cleveland and helped found the law firm of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, the house was used to board students.

Andrew later gave life use of the homestead to his cousin Frank who was living in Hiram Rapids. The house was deeded to the college and the college took possession of the property in 1955.

The College used Squire House in a number of ways. For a time it served as the Department of Music, Administrative Offices, and even as a dormitory for women.
When the College made plans to build the Kennedy Center there was an attempt to save the building by having it moved but the size of the home and the cost were prohibitive. It was demolished in 1967.