In the early 1980s, former residents were mailed questionnaires about life at Stevens Hall. The Stevens Hall Historical Questionnaires now reside at the Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC).
The collection consists of two boxes containing nearly 100 folders with forms filled out and mailed back between 1982 and 1985. Here are some quotes from the project as well as from Facebook. Earlier this year, Washington State Magazine put the call out for Stevens Hall memories on social media, and many alumni responding by posting short reminisces. Some are included here, too.
Its architecture is eclectic, a mix of New England Shingle, ornamental Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival styles with Pacific Northwest touches. Local basalt, clay from campus, and Puget Sound fir and red cedar were all used in its construction in 1895.
In those early years, Stevens Hall was not only an all-women’s residence hall but a social center for the students of Washington State. This is where they would come together—for dances and dinners, teas, readings, and receptions.
Today, Stevens Hall, placed on the National Register of Historic Places and steeped in tradition, remains women-only, and its residents tend to form close bonds, often … » More …
Thank you for the article in your Fall 2015 issue about Stevens Hall and their tea cups. I lived there from 1968–1972. It was a great place to live and an interesting time of old traditions (passing an engagement ring around a circle of residents until it stopped at the engaged) to moving on to more modern ones (like allowing men to visit up on the floors and rooms). Through it all were the beautiful teacups and wonderful friends, some of which I still keep in touch with after 43 years!
