Baird Hall (1964-2000)

Baird Hall (Quad 4), part of the “upper quad” and one of the ten residence halls that made up the College’s Fraternity Quadrangle, was first used to house students in September 1964. The hall, which initially served as the residence of the Sigma Chi fraternity, was named in honor of Spencer Fullerton Baird, class of 1840, who taught at Dickinson for several years and who later became the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Actually the second building in the College’s history to bear the name (the first Baird Hall housed the Biology department), this dormitory was designed by Howell Lewis Shay and Associates and cost approximately $200,000 to build. In the fall of 2000, the building was remodeled and joined with McClintock Hall (Quad 5) to create a larger residence hall for upperclassmen.