Residence Halls

Occupying a prominent place on College Hill is a complex of three large residence halls: Rush H. Kress Hall, Main College, and Harland A. Trax Hall. The central section of Main College has been designated as Daniel C. Roberts Hall, in memory of the man who provided funds for its rebuilding in 1937. Nearby Kress Hall is named in honor of Rush H. Kress, Class of 1900, for 36 years a trustee of the university and a generous contributor to his alma mater. Trax Hall, built in 1907, is named for a trustee and benefactor, Harland A. Trax. Most rooms in these facilities, which together accommodate over 350 students, are singles.

 Gateway Residence Center. Completed in 1986, these five buildings — Roser Hall, Malesardi Hall, Kalman-Posner Hall, Vidinghoff Hall, and Silbermann Hall — accommodate a total of 250 upperclass students. Each floor contains four suites accommodating four students each. Each suite includes four private bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and full bathroom facilities. Common laundry facilities are available within the center. On-grade suites are available for handicapped students.

 Larison Hall, renovated in 1995, is a large residential building connected on the west with Bucknell Cottage and on the south with John Howard Harris Hall. Together they accommodate 275 residents. Nearby Hunt Hall, built in 1928, which houses some 150 students, is named in honor of former President Emory W. Hunt, and provides private residence rooms and common facilities for Bucknell's sororities. The building was completely renovated for occupancy in the spring semester 2003.

 McDonnell Hall with 300 beds opened in fall 2000. Two four-story wings are connected by corridors to a two-story center unit containing lounge areas and seminar rooms. Each floor houses two “neighborhoods” with one single and nine double rooms surrounding a common lounge. McDonnell Hall is named in honor of Elizabeth and James McDonnell III and their daughter, Katherine ’94.

 Smith Hall. Completed in 1986, this modern residential unit houses approximately 220 students in a three-story building that contains a wide array of common facilities including seminar and study rooms, computer facilities, TV lounges, and common kitchen and laundry facilities. The building is named in honor of Robert ’39 and Margaret Farrell Smith 41.

 James S. Swartz Hall, near the Academic Quadrangle, is named for a long-time member and chairman of the Board of Trustees, and generous benefactor. Built in 1954, it houses 360 residents.

Vedder Hall, completed in 1965, is named in honor of Lee N. and Grace Q. Vedder, in recognition of the transfer to the university of the of the foundation which they endowed. It is home to over 350 residents, most of whom live in double rooms.

Bucknell West, a complex of residential units on the western edge of the campus, provides accommodations for 272 upperclass students. Each H-shaped unit has two wings, each of which contains two bedrooms, a bath, and a combination living room-kitchen for four students. The complex is accessible via a pedestrian underpass, completed in 1991.