A Home on The Hill: WPI’s First Residence Hall Opens

Founded to support Worcester’s local population and industry, WPI quickly expanded its enrollment base as the importance and value of its unique educational model gained popularity. Students came to campus from out of state and other countries to learn the most modern scientific and engineering principles. 

Those arriving from afar rented rooms from local families, joined fraternities that had limited housing, or found lodging in area boarding houses with the assistance of the WPI YMCA chapter. As the school continued to grow, campus administrators realized that the issue of student housing would become a barrier to growth.

On Feb. 16, 1926, the front page of Tech News reported that the Board of Trustees had approved the construction of a new dormitory; $250,000 (now about $4 million adjusted for inflation) was budgeted for the project. Groundbreaking was scheduled to begin that May on the southern side of campus. The building, which would house 115 students and feature a common room for socialization and laundry facilities, would serve as the border of the Quadrangle.

The trustees announced at the groundbreaking that the new dormitory would be named in honor of R. Sanford Riley, Class of 1896, to honor his contributions and continued support of the Institute. Riley came to WPI after working for the railroad industry in his native Canada. He married Katherine Higgins and lived for a brief time in Higgins House with his in-law family.

The new dorm quickly became the social hub of campus, as students would gather to listen to the two Atwater Kent radios. In October 1927, Hughie Connor and the Hotel Bancroft Orchestra performed for more than 200 students and guests after a meal in the new dining facility. 

The dormitory quickly helped foster the close friendships and increase the general college spirit the trustees and alumni hoped the new dorm would provide. Today, Sanford Riley still houses students, in addition to WPI’s Little Theatre and Riley Commons, which continue to provide a haven of comfort and fellowship for the WPI community.

Editor’s Note: In November 2024, University Archivist (and popular WPI Journal columnist) Arthur Carlson left WPI to take on a new professional adventure in Florida. We wished him well and invited him to offer a final message to WPI Journal readers.

When I arrived in New England from North Carolina almost seven years ago, I could not find the entrance of my driveway owing to more snow than I had ever seen in my entire life. I aimed for a clearing between the trees and hoped for the best. Thankfully the trailer burst through the snowbank and so began my new life in a place that has become special to me, like it has for generations of our WPI community for more than 150 years. 

In that time, I have had the great fortune to not only support our students, faculty, and staff here on campus, but also to travel around the country and across the ocean to help share the rich culture and academic resources that support our unique educational model. Our shared efforts have transformed learning opportunities and fostered a more inclusive institutional memory.  

I have never felt more welcome at any job and the sorrow I feel at leaving is necessary to balance all the wonder and joy I experienced. I’ll spend the remainder of my days cheering on WPI and passing forward the important knowledge of how to properly pronounce Worcester. The heart of Massachusetts will always be in mine. Farewell and thank you!

—Arthur Carlson