Dorsey Hall (Miami University)

AboutDorsey Hall is a co-ed residence hall at Miami University, located at 900 East High Street Oxford, Ohio.Construction and PlanningIn September 1960 Miami University began plans to revamp the campus. This new campus plan placed the future Dorsey Hall on East Quad. In 1961 construction began. The hall was originally intended to be a women’s dormitory, which would house 243 students. The hall was completed in 1962, and cost $1,098,400. With a square footage of 51, 550 and a cubic footage of 667,050 the residence hall was able to house 254 students at the end of construction.HistoryOn Saturday, October 6, 1962 Dorsey Hall was dedicated. The building was named for James M. Dorsey “who was Oxford’s first teacher”. At the dedication ceremony members of Dorsey’s family were present as well as Miami’s president and members of the board.In January 1965 seven members of the Miami chapter of Phi Delta Theta and seven student from the Miami University Western College for Women stole and destroyed a picture of James Maxwell Dorsey from the hall. The students were later disciplined. A special piece of Miami history was lost with the destruction of the portrait. In a letter from W.P. Roudebush to E.W. King we see the importance of the portrait as it was given to the university by the great-grandson of James Dorsey.James Maxwell DorseyKnown as Oxford’s first teacher, Dorsey was also “Miami’s first superintendent of buildings and grounds, and Miami’s first treasurer”. James Dorsey was born in Maryland on March 20, 1776. In 1810 he came to Oxford where he built a “Select School” which was a log building that was on the grounds of the University. From 1818-24 Dorsey was the university’s superintendent of buildings and grounds and from 1824- 47 he served as the university’s first treasurer. Since James Maxwell Dorsey's death on March 1, 1857 the Dorsey family has stayed actively involved with the university.