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© 2007 University of Chicago Library
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When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: University of Chicago. Beecher House. Records, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
In 1893 Mary Beecher gave $50,000 to build Beecher Hall (named after the donor;s late husband, Jerome). It was constructed at 5844 University Avenue that summer, and opened its doors that fall. Because the residence for women was incomplete by the time classes started, Deans of Women Alice Freeman Porter and Marion Talbot were able to influence their designs. Beecher, and its sister hall, Kelly, and the other women;s dormitories, Green and Foster Halls, became centers for campus parties and receptions.
Although Beecher House was a part of the University of Chicago housing system, it was also an organization for the women who lived there. Members were initiated, dues were paid, and social events were held.
The Beecher House Papers consists of two boxes containing the house constitution, membership lists, minutes, treasurer;s accounts and reports, and scrapbook material related to residential living in Beecher Hall from 1893 to 1951.