Pioneer Halls

The Women’s Dorms were planned by Ricks College in 1961 to help fill the growing need of housing for students. They were completed by 1968 and opened to student residents. Each building was named after an influential female educator from the history of Ricks College. These buildings were located on the east side of campus and were built with apartments that accommodated four girls in two bedrooms. The halls were built in a u-shape with an open grass area in the middle. One of the former residents of the women’s dorms stated that they were very safe. These buildings housed women for more than 50 years before they were razed in April 2016 to make way for the changing needs of the school — they are now the parking lots just east of the Smith Building. Although they are now gone, they still live in the memories of so many who they touched. 

 One resident of the dorms, Angie Niccols, has fond memories of her time there. She recalls a time when she and her roommates went sledding and she covered herself in saran wrap, which she commented “actually worked pretty well.” Niccols also had some grievances with the dorms. She

described the dorms as “not very homey,” and the walls as paper-thin. She recalls one time she was subjected to the same song on repeat by her adjacent neighbor for days on end. Her semester at the Women’s Dorms ended on a high note, however: she happily recounted the story of having a large food fight with her roommates had at the end of the semester which, she noted, they cleaned up afterward.

50 Years of Service, BYUI Library. Accessed November 20th 2020. https://library.byui.edu/exhibits/50yearsofservice/Pioneer.html.