Doane Residence Hall

Doane Residence Hall is the oldest dormitory on campus. The building is split into four sections letter from Doane A to Doane D, with the original and oldest section being Doane B. Overlooking the campus' west side, Doane Hall was originally known as the "Bonalton" estate, built in 1911 for Charles S. Walton Sr.'s eldest son, Thomas England Walton. The three acres included the estate and the surrounding hills, and David Knickerbacker Boyd was the architect for the estate: the same man who designed the Central Baptist Church in Wayne, PA. It was originally named Fairview Dormitory, due to the beautiful views of the campus from the top of the hill where the building stands, and it remained a women-only residence hall until it became co-ed in the 1980s. Doane A is the largest of the sections and also houses the Health Center which can be accessed by non-Doane residents from the rear entrance.

Doane Residence Hall is the oldest residence hall on campus. The building is split into four sections lettering from Doane A to Doane D, with the original and oldest section being Doane B. Overlooking the campus' west side, Doane Hall was originally known as the "Bonalton" estate, built in 1911 for Charles S. Walton Sr.'s eldest son, Thomas England Walton. The three acres included the estate and the surrounding hills, and David Knickerbacker Boyd was the architect for the estate: the same man who designed the Central Baptist Church in Wayne, PA.

Doane B was purchased by Eastern Baptist College (now Eastern University) in 1952 and was originally named Fairview Dormitory, due to the beautiful views of the campus from the top of the hill where the building stood. It remained a women-only residence hall from 1952 until it became co-ed in the 1980s, and the school's rapid growth prompted the hall's first extension, later known as Doane C, to be added in 1955-1957.

By then, the hall had received a new name: Doane Hall, dedicated on October 14, 1957 on the same day groundbreaking began on the second extension (Doane A). The new moniker came from Marguerite Treat Doane, a benefactor of the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Seminary) Chapel at Overbrook, PA, as well as the college's athletic field. She also contributed $100,000 towards buying the original Bonalton estate and was the source of the Mozart manuscript that had been later discovered in a safe at the seminary in 1989. She had died on October 20, 1954, three years before the hall she had helped purchase was named in her honor.

The Doane A addition was finished in August 1958, and the third and final addition – Doane D – was finished by September 1962, finishing the residence hall's U-shaped design atop the hill. Parking for the dorm remains behind the hall, primarily for resident students, though parking was later added to the front of Doane Hall in Fall of 2006 in response to township concerns about overcrowding and congesting the nearby roads. Before then, Doane Hill had been a popular location for events on campus, including concerts, club practices, and at least one commencement ceremony.

Doane Hall remained a popular choice for residence life due to its vibrant community. However, when the university's traditional undergraduate attendance dropped, Doane Hall closed as a residence hall in 2016, though the Health Center located in Doane A remained open. Doane A was also selected as quarantine housing during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Thanks to increasing numbers, Doane Hall was able to reopen as a livable residence hall in Fall 2021.

Combining all section of Doane Hall, the residence hall is 44,149 total square feet, with approximately three levels, 86 rooms, and 167 beds. Doane A is the largest of the sections and also houses the Health Center which can be accessed by non-Doane residents from the rear entrance. Doane B, the original Bonalton estate, also hosts the Resident Director, and the first addition of Doane C is the smallest section, being the one section that is two levels rather than three. Doane D, being the latest addition, is the section largest and extends out by the rear parking lot.

"Doane Hall." Folder in Eastern University Archives. Located at Warner Memorial Library, Eastern University, St. Davids, PA, 19087.