Creswell Hall

Creswell Hall (www.housing.uga.edu/site/

housing_residence_creswellhall)

Built in 1963, Creswell Hall was the first of four high-rise residence halls at the University of Georgia. The high-rise residence hall timeline is followed by the construction of Brumby Hall (1966), Russell Hall (1967), and finally, Oglethorpe House (1979). Creswell Hall is centrally located on UGA’s campus, and it was conveniently built next to the old Bolton Dining Commons. Creswell Hall stands nine stories high, and it can house approximately 960 students. Initially, Creswell Hall was a female-only dormitory for UGA students of any year. Now, Creswell Hall is a co-educational dormitory housing first-year students only, and genders are separated by floor. 

Mary Creswell Honor Hall Initiation (Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library)

Creswell Hall is named after Mary Ethel Creswell, the first woman to receive a baccalaureate degree from the University of Georgia. Mary Creswell received her B.S. in home economics in 1919, and she became the first dean of the College of Home Economics, which was established in 1933. After serving as a dean from 1933 to 1945, Miss Creswell taught as a professor in the College of Home Economics until retiring in 1949. Also, in addition to being the first woman to receive a baccalaureate degree from UGA, Mary Creswell was the first woman to be employed by the Federal Extension Office in Washington in 1913 (Peek 369-372). As pictured in the news article above, Miss Creswell was the first female graduate to be initiated to the Honor Hall of the College of Home Economics in 1980. Mary Creswell was a pioneer for women at UGA and across the nation, and Creswell Hall is honorably named in her memory.