Dedication of the Newly Renovated Agnes E. Wells Quad Student Residences

Until 1925, there was no housing for female students on the IU Bloomington campus.  In 1912, Dean of Women Carrie L. DeNise called the housing situation for female students “unsatisfactory”; many of these students boarded in the community in small groups, and the housing was typically scattered. DeNise’s statement was one of the early voices that paved the way for the construction of Memorial Hall and its sister building, Goodbody Hall.

 Memorial Hall was dedicated in 1925, and it was the first women’s residence on campus. Goodbody Hall, originally named Forest Hall, was built in 1936 and served as a women’s residence as well; Goodbody Hall is known for its unusual sculpture of a duck wearing a mortarboard and glasses, located on the west side of the building. The strategic location of both buildings created a small section of campus that female students could call home.

 In the 92 years since the first of these buildings was completed, both evolved into classroom and office facilities. Much of Memorial Hall was dedicated to the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design until that program was incorporated into the School of Art, Architecture, and Design in 2016. Goodbody Hall was home for many years to the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine. The School of Art, Architecture, and Design is now headquartered in Kirkwood Hall, in the historic Old Crescent district of campus, and History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine is now located in Ballantine Hall.

In 2015, the IU Board of Trustees approved the Wells Quad project with a budget of $30 million. Completed in the fall of 2017, the Wells Quad renovation has 182 beds and a 200-seat dining hall. It features a patio and dining opportunities such as a branch of the popular Kirkwood Avenue institution Nick’s English Hut. Wells Quad houses a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning community for students in related majors.