When women were initially admitted to Gonzaga, they did not have a dormitory to live in and could only attend if they had a family member to stay with in Spokane. Over the years, however, as enrollment grew, the university added dormitories for women. This case shows the changes made to accommodate women students and glimpse into their lives as residents.
When women first arrived on campus in 1948, there was no designated dormitory for them. Women could only attend Gonzaga if they had somewhere to stay within the city of Spokane. Crimont Hall, originally a house owned by the family of Fr. John Dunne, was previously an infirmary but was converted to the first housing for women in 1951.
Standing where the original Crimont Hall stood is the modern Crimont Hall. The original house, which was donated by the family of Fr. John Dunne, was demolished and the modern-day Crimont Hall was built in the 1960’s to provide housing for 100 women.
Clubs pertaining to each residence hall were common at Gonzaga. Pictured here is the Crimont Club, in front of the original Crimont Hall, which was a house for female residents.
Madonna Hall was built between 1953 and 1954. While at the time it served as a dormitory for 120 female students, today both male and female students reside there.
Mrs. Joseph Lavin, a widow to Joseph Lavin, was the first hall mother of Madonna Hall for women in the 1950’s.
“Coed Cues” booklets given to new students at the beginning of each school year. It lists the expectations for how a coed should dress and behave while living on campus at Gonzaga and other university policies.
The halls of St. Catherine and St. Monica were built in the 1963 to help accommodate the rising number of female students.
This scrapbook highlights some of the events that occurred throughout the St. Catherine St. Monica halls. Nicknamed “CM,” this dorm was built in 1963 and became well-known its sense of community and constant activity.
St. Catherine and St. Monica, built to accommodate the growing population of female students, became known for the strong sense of community it had for the students that lived there.