Name: Cowles Hall
Nickname: Cowles
Address: 1426 Park St.
Purpose: Residence hall, 95 students
Year Built: 1942

Cowles Hall was made possible by a gift from the Cowles Foundation in 1941. President Samuel Stevens anticipated the need for better facilities during World War II and quickly built Cowles Hall and Darby Gym in 1942 to accommodate the Officers’ Candidate School. Cowles was not available for civilian use until 1945. With the completion of the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center and its new dining facilities, Cowles and Quad dining halls were no longer needed. Cowles dining was retrofitted to provide additional accessible housing. The Des Moines architectural firm Herbert Lewis Kruse & Blunck designed the retrofit, and Neumann Brothers DesignBuild Solutions completed it.

Building Features

• Cowles is sought after by students for its air-conditioned apartments with their double-height living rooms, bedroom lofts, and hallways overlooking the living area.
• Gender-neutral rooms
• Two student lounges
• One kitchen

Fun Fact

Accessible rooms are now located where Cowles dining hall once stood. When the dining hall served North Campus, East Campus didn’t exist, and South Campus had its own dining facilities in Main Hall.