Snell–Hitchcock facts for kids
Snell–Hitchcock is the name for two old and famous buildings at the University of Chicago: Amos Jerome Snell Hall and Charles Hitchcock Hall. People often call them "Snitchcock" for short! These buildings are dorm rooms where students live. They are located on the northwest side of the university's main area, near 57th Street and Ellis Avenue.
Snell Hall was built in 1892, and Hitchcock Hall was built in 1901. This makes them the oldest dorms still used at the University of Chicago! Snell looks like an old castle with its Collegiate Gothic style. Hitchcock also has a Gothic look, but it's mixed with a style called Prairie School. Both buildings have cool features like fireplaces, stone outsides, and beautiful wood inside.
Students living in Snell–Hitchcock are known for their strong community spirit. They especially show this during the yearly University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt. As of 2015, the Snell–Hitchcock team has won this hunt 14 times out of 29. They even hold the record for winning four years in a row!
Hitchcock House has an armadillo as its mascot. Snell House used to have a monkey, but now its mascot is a tortoise.
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Hitchcock Hall: A Historic Dorm
Quick facts for kids |
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Charles Hitchcock Hall
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| Location | 1009 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois |
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| Built | 1901 |
| Architect | Dwight Heald Perkins |
| Architectural style | Prairie School |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000751 |
| Added to NRHP | December 30, 1974 |
Hitchcock Hall was built in 1901. It is so special that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical building. Like many buildings at the University of Chicago, it has a Collegiate Gothic style.
However, Hitchcock also has parts that look like the Prairie School style. For example, it has stone corn husks instead of scary gargoyles. Its roof is flat, not pointy like other Gothic buildings.
Inside Hitchcock Hall: Sections and Rooms
Hitchcock Hall is built in a unique "landing" style. This means it has five stairwells connected through a front walkway and the basement. Today, only the basement connection is used for safety. The three middle parts of the building, called Sections II-IV, each have their own staircase.
Each of these middle sections has two floors with four double rooms. The top floor has two larger suites. These suites are double rooms with a big living room and a separate bedroom. Many rooms in Hitchcock have fireplaces, but they don't work anymore. The first floor is home to the Resident Deans, who are a faculty couple living in the dorm.
Special Rooms in Hitchcock
The sections on the very ends of Hitchcock (Sections I & V) are mostly for older students. These sections have smaller hallways. Six to eight students live on each floor, and many have their own single rooms.
Section I is the furthest from the front desk. Its floors have both male and female students sharing a bathroom. Some of the biggest rooms in Hitchcock Hall are here. These include "octagons," which are round rooms with many windows. They look out over 57th Street and Ellis Avenue. This section's basement connects to the common area between Snell and Hitchcock. Section I also has "horseshoe doubles." These are large double rooms with separate areas and closets for each student. They also have a non-working fireplace.
A famous astronomer, Carl Sagan, lived in Section I during the 1954–1955 school year. He was known for his work in space and for winning many awards.
Section V is built above the Green Room, which is a big lounge. The first two floors of Section V have alternating male and female floors. The top floor has both male and female students. Section V has some of the most unusual rooms in Hitchcock.
The Fermi Room and Blackboard
On the second floor of Section V is the "Fermi Room." It is said that Enrico Fermi lived here in the 1940s. He was a very important scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project. People say he chose this room because it had its own bathroom with a tub. The bathroom is still there, but the tub was changed to a shower in 2008.
Connected to the Fermi Room is the Fermi Blackboard. Some people say this is the same blackboard Fermi used for his calculations. This might be an urban legend, but students still love the idea of having it!
The Ranch
On the fourth floor of Section V is "The Ranch" (room 541). This is a very large single room that stretches across the north side of the section. From its windows, you can see the Regenstein Library and the Ratner Athletic Center. On a clear day, you can even see the Willis Tower far away! This room is usually one of the most wanted rooms when students choose their housing each year.
Hitchcock's Common Areas
The main lounge in Hitchcock is called the Green Room. It is a large reading room with a tiled floor. It has a grand piano, a working fireplace, and pictures of important people. These include Charles Hitchcock, who the hall is named after, and Annie Hitchcock, who gave money to the university.
Hitchcock also has a kitchen, a room to store bikes, and a laundry room. Each section has its own door to Hitchcock's outdoor walkway, called the Arcade. However, these doors are only for leaving. To enter, you must use the main entrance or come from Snell Hall. The front desk for both Snell and Hitchcock, and the mail room, are in Hitchcock's main entrance.
Snell Hall: A Cozy Community
Snell Hall was built in 1892. It is about half the size of Hitchcock Hall. Around 50 students live in Snell, spread across four floors. Snell has a special history: it was one of the first dorms for women on a campus that had both male and female students. At first, it only housed women for a short time. After a women's-only dorm opened, Snell became a dorm for men.
All the rooms in Snell are single rooms, except for one two-room suite on the second floor. Three of the four floors have both male and female students. The third floor is only for women. In the basement, there is a shared kitchen, a laundry room, and a small game room. This basement connects Snell Hall to Hitchcock Hall.
Snell's main lounge is called the Tea Room. It is a cozy room with wood-paneled walls and a non-working fireplace. It has many magazines and newspapers for students to read.
