University Residence Halls

A panoramic view of Benson Hall, Clerc Hall, and Carlin Hall.

Our University residence halls are named after prominent figures in the histories of Gallaudet, the deaf community, and the deaf education field.

We have five residence halls, the newest one being the Living and Learning Residence Hall 6 (LLRH6). The oldest residence halls are Ballard North and Ballard West, erected in 1965.

Ballard Residential Complex

The Ballard Residential Complex consists of two residence halls — Ballard North and Ballard West. They are very similar in design and square footage, but each has unique characteristics. Both residence halls have an open stairway from the fourth floor to the first floor and were the first residence halls to have central air conditioning.

1. These residence halls were originally named Cogswell Hall and Krug Hall. They were renamed in 2002 to the Ballard Residential Complex, named for Melville Ballard who was the first undergraduate student to receive a degree from Gallaudet College in 1866.
2. Both were built in 1965.
3. The former Cogswell and Krug Halls were named after Alice Cogswell and Walter J. Krug. Alice Cogswell was Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet’s first deaf pupil. Walter J. Krug was an educator, dean, and friend of Gallaudet students.
4. Ballard North currently houses Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) students.
5. Ballard West is a University residence hall which houses upperclass students.

Ballard West

Ballard West is a four-story building composed predominantly of double-occupancy room arranged on a long corridor divided into two wings. Rooms are furnished with a set of two beds, dressers, desks, chairs, and closets along with individual heating and air-conditioning (HVAC) units. Carpeting and Venetian blinds are in each room. Each wing has a community bathroom. A television and study lounge is available on each floor. Ballard West houses 162 residents.

• Erected: 1965
• Number of Floors: 4 plus Basement
• Building History: The Former Krug Hall, it was a male residence hall and it was one of the first two buildings on campus to have a built-in central air-conditioning and carpeting
• Square Footage: 51,412 square feet
• Unique Features: Winding Stairway from the First to the Fourth Floors

The room diagram of a typical room in Ballard West can be viewed here.

Benson Hall

Built in 1976, Benson Hall is the University’s first residence hall designed for coeducational living. It is named after Elizabeth English Benson, a well-known educator and advocate for the deaf.

Elizabeth Benson was a child of deaf adults (CODA) and gained recognition as a well-known interpreter who signed beautifully. She taught audiology and lipreading to graduate students and is considered a pioneer in the field of hearing evaluation. She interpreted for prominent individuals such as Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Cardinal Francis Spellman, Members of Congress, and government officials.

Benson also served as a First Lieutenant in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II and also attended law school so she could overcome her frustration with legal jargon and procedures while interpreting for deaf people in the courtroom. She was the Dean of Women, succeeding Elizabeth Peet in 1950.

This residence hall houses first-year students.

Benson Hall is a nine-story building that offers you predominantly double rooms arranged along two U-shaped corridors. There are several single rooms on each floor. Approximately 32 people live on each floor. Rooms are equipped with beds, dressers, wardrobe closets, desks, chairs, carpeting, and Venetian blinds. Community bathrooms are located in each corridor. Public areas include a large lobby and television and videophone lounges. Benson Hall accommodates 244 residents and is designated as a residence hall for first-year students.

• Erected: August 1972
• Number of Floors: 9 plus basement
• Building History: second residence hall designed for co-ed living
• Square Footage: 75,679
• Date of Dedication: March 30, 1973

The room diagram of a typical room in Benson Hall can be viewed here.

Carlin Hall

Carlin Hall, the largest residence hall on campus built in 1979, is named after John Carlin, a prominent deaf artist who wrote poetry and children’s stories.

He wrote a famous poem, The Mute’s Lament and The Stratchsides Family, a well-known children’s book. He also gave lectures on various subjects and wrote columns in many leading publications for the Deaf. He played a major role in influencing Edward Miner Gallaudet to establish a college on Kendall Green, as our University is affectionally called, and because of that role, he became the first deaf person to be awarded an honorary degree from Gallaudet. This residence hall houses graduate students and some upperclassmen.

Carlin Hall is an eight-story residence hall. There are two wings on each floor. Approximately 24 residents occupy each wing. Each wing consists of one single suite, one double suite, and three suites housing four students. Of these last suites, two contain two single rooms and one double room, and one suite has two double rooms. There is a private bathroom in each suite.

The rooms have heating and air-conditioning units, carpeting, Venetian blinds, beds, desks, chairs, dressers, and closets. Carlin Hall’s design provides a community living environment. On each odd-numbered floor there is a lounge with study tables and a television. On the even-numbered floors there are balconies that open to the odd-numbered floor below. Carlin accommodates 250 residents and houses graduate students and upperclassmen.

• Erected: 1979
• Number of Floors: 8 plus basement
• Unique Feature: Largest residence hall on campus with 94,384 square foot

The room diagram of a typical room in Carlin Hall can be viewed here.

Clerc Hall

Clerc Hall is the first co-ed residence hall built in 1971. Named after Laurent Clerc, the first deaf teacher in the United States, the first deaf person to appear before the Congress of the United States to talk about establishing deaf public schools, and the first deaf person to receive an honorary Master’s degree from Trinity College.

Clerc came from the French village of LaBalme. His family believed that he became deaf as a result of falling from his highchair into the kitchen fire where his right cheek was burned, hence the use of two fingers brushing across the right cheek in sign language. He came to America with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet to teach for 40 years at the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in Hartford, Connecticut. This residence hall houses upperclassmen.

Clerc Hall is an eight-story residence hall consisting mostly of six quads per floor. A quad is a suite of rooms that houses four people and contains two double rooms, a combined living and study room, and a bathroom. Each floor accommodates approximately 24 students.

There are study and TV lounges on some floors. Each bedroom is equipped with a heating and air-conditioning unit, PVC flooring, Venetian blinds, beds, desks, chairs, wardrobe closets, and dressers. Each living and study room has a sofa and a coffee table. Clerc accommodates 173 residents.

• Erected: 1971
• Number of Floors: 8 plus Basement
• Capacity: 47 Suites and 4 Apartments
• Building History: The first coeducational residence hall on campus.
• Building Height: It is 113 feet and six inches tall.
• Square Footage: 58,495
• Date of Dedication: April 6, 1974

The room diagram of a typical room in Clerc Hall can be viewed here.

Living and Learning Residence Hall 6 (LLRH6)

The Living and Learning Residence Hall 6 (LLRH6) is the newest addition to university housing. Built in 2012, LLRH6 is the first environment-friendly residence hall. A five-story residence hall with an emphasis on DeafSpace with a warm and welcoming feeling for residents. Built through an Integrated/Design Build Process where architects, builders, and university stakeholders were involved. LLRH6 is the first residence hall to have an exercise room for exclusive use by its residents. Please visit the Living and Learning Residence Hall 6 page to learn about the Integrated Design/Build process from the Campus Design and Planning Office. This residence hall houses second-year students and some upperclass students.

Peet Hall

Peet Hall was built in 1957 and is the oldest residence hall on campus. It was originally built as a women’s residence hall and remained so until 1980 when it became co-ed. Named after Dr. Elizabeth Peet who practically grew up in the Deaf Community. Her mother was deaf and her father was an educator of the Deaf. Her grandfather and father were successive principals of the New York School for the Deaf. After passing the Harvard entrance examinations, she stayed with her father until his death in 1889 and her mother passed on in 1891. She came to Gallaudet in 1900 to teach at Kendall School and the college. Dr. Peet received her Bachelor’s from George Washington University in 1918. She received three honorary degrees: Master’s from Gallaudet in 1923, Doctor of Pedagogy from the George Washington University in 1937, and a Doctor of Humane Letters from Gallaudet in 1950. She also received a special certificate from the Sorbonne in Paris, France. Fluent in Latin, English, French, and Spanish as well as being a strict teacher, a mother, a nurse, and a kindly guidance counselor … all of these qualities made her known as a Kendall Green Mother. The residence hall houses upperclassmen.

Faculty Row

Living in Ballard, Fay, and Denison Houses, known as Faculty Row Housing or Faculty Row, will enable you to experience living in the University’s Historical District.

Other buildings in the Historical District include the Edward Miner Gallaudet Residence, the Gate House, Peikoff Alumni House, College Hall, Chapel Hall, Fowler Hall, Kendall Hall, and Building 103.

Ballard House, Fay House, and, Denison House, in the University’s Historic District, as part of Faculty Row are named after prominent Gallaudet figures such as Melville Ballard, Charles Fay, and James Denison.

Ballard House

Ballard House is one of the buildings in the University’s Historic District. Other buildings in the Historic District include the Edward Miner Gallaudet Residence, the Gate House, Fay House, Denison House, Peikoff Alumni House, College Hall, Chapel Hall, Fowler Hall, Kendall Hall, and Building 103.

It is part of the Living and Learning Community program established by the Office of Residence Life and Housing.

• Erected: 1867
• Number of Floors: Three (3) plus Basement
• Building History: Housed the family of Edward Miner Gallaudet when the Edward Miner Gallaudet Residence was under construction and it is one of the first houses on campus. It recently housed the offices of the Gallaudet Interpreting Service (GIS).
• Square Footage: 7,592
• Unique Features: Patio

Denison House

Denison House is one of the buildings in the University’s Historical District. Other buildings in the Historical District include the Edward Miner Gallaudet Residence, the Gate House, Fay House, Ole Jim, College Hall, Chapel Hall, Fowler Hall, Kendall Hall, and Dawes House.

It is part of the Living and Learning Community program established by the Office of Residence Life and Housing.

• Erected: 1875
• Number of Floors: Three (3) plus Basement
• Building History: Housed the family of James Denison who lived in the house from 1875 to 1909. From 1909 to 1962, female Kendall School students were housed there.
• Square Footage: 7,568
• Unique Features: Patio

You can view the Gallaudet University Campus Map here.