West Side Row

When Vanderbilt University opened in 1875, students lived in university approved off-campus boarding houses. In 1886, William H. Vanderbilt - the eldest son of Cornelius Vanderbilt - left $10,000 to the school to be used as the administration saw fit. The Board of Trust decided to build four dormitories on the western side of campus to provide lodgings for the growing student population. In 1887, two more dormitories were added to the row as well as a nearby dining hall to help feed the growing number of students living in the dormitories. The six dormitories were called “West Side Row” and the dining hall was designated “West Side Hall.”