Campus Living:

At its very roots, Cal Poly embodies the "learn by doing" philosophy. Cal Poly founders envisioned a residential campus designed to accommodate students from around the world. Today, Cal Poly is the largest residential campus in the California State University system. This tour explores the development of residential communities at Cal Poly, examining the evolution of architecture and policy, and how administrators and students sought to create community on campus.

Built 1903

Anderson Hall, formerly known as “Boy’s Dormitory” and then Science Hall, opened in 1904 as the first dormitory built on Cal Poly’s campus. After Deuel Hall was built in 1908, Anderson was used for a short time as the women’s dorm. The building was later named for the first president of Cal Poly, Leroy Anderson. Anderson Hall was demolished in 1941 by National Youth Administration students.

Built 1908

Deuel Hall was a men's dormitory from 1908 until 1976. It was named for Captain J. C. Deuel, Cal Poly  professor of Military Science, dorm superintendent, baseball coach, and librarian. Deuel Hall was used by the School of Architecture as additional instruction space from 1972 until its eventual demolition in 1976.

Built 1928

Increasing enrollment and more non-local students necessitated more housing in the 1920s. Jespersen and Heron Halls were built in 1928 to accommodate more students on campus. In the 1950s and 1960s Jespersen was a dorm for women and then men athletes. It was named for Chris Jespersen, a Senator in the California State Legislative system who advocated for Cal Poly. He grew up in the San Luis Obispo area and was very vocal in agricultural education. The building is now used as faculty offices.

Built 1928

Heron Hall was built in 1928 for the Junior College students on Cal Poly's campus. The building was named after Colonel A. R. Heron, the Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction, who helped get funds for the construction of the building. The dorm was used by women when they were readmitted to the school in the 1950s.

On campus housing for women was severely limited in the 1903-1929 period. Women students were expected to live in "suitable homes" around San Luis Obispo, over a mile away from campus. The lack of on-campus housing for female students caused difficulties for recruiting women students at Cal Poly. This contributed to the decision of the state legislature to ban enrollment by women in 1929. Women students would not return to campus until 1956. When women were once again enrolled on campus, they were presented with the "Cues for Coeds" handbook that laid out guidelines and expectations for their time on campus. Read more about women's reintegration back into Cal Poly  here .

Built 1931

Chase Hall was a dormitory built in 1931 named for Vice President and Dean of the Junior College Margaret Chase. The dormitory was built for Junior College students, but was used as a dorm for women in the 1950s and 1960s. The dormitory was converted into faculty offices in 1975 and still stands as faculty offices today. It is the only building on campus named after a woman.

Within three years of the end of World War II, the level of enrollment at Cal Poly tripled with a majority of these students married with families. The campus was not prepared to accommodate the large number of new students and their families and in response they turned war surplus buildings into dormitories.

Built 1946

Married students and their children were a common sight in Vetville. This housing complex was built as a response to the influx in veterans and their families on campus after World War II. Vetville was made from simple materials after the war for veterans and their families to live in and opened in 1946. The buildings were demolished in late 1967.

Built 1946

Married students also lived in “Silver City.” During the late 1940s and the 1950s, married students made up almost 30% of the student body. Built in 1946, these 188 units were mobile homes or trailers that housed the spouses and families of Cal Poly students until they were removed in 1958. The nickname of the site was based off the silver trailers.

Built 1952

The North Mountain residence halls were the first permanent dorms built at Cal Poly since 1928. The five two-story residence halls opened in 1952 to house freshmen students. The five buildings were named for well known California mountains: Shasta, Diablo, Palomar, Whitney, and Lassen. They were the first dorms built after the 1949 Master Plan of Cal Poly proposed shifting campus housing, administration, and student activities to the east side of campus.

Built 1960

The South Mountain dorms were opened in Fall 1960 and are more commonly referred to as the “red bricks,” which speaks to their appearance. The red bricks are composed of 6 identical buildings all named after well known California mountains: Trinity Hall, Santa Lucia Hall, Muir Hall, Sequoia Hall, Fremont Hall, and Tenaya Hall. When they were first opened, Trinity and Santa Lucia housed only female students and the other four were men’s dormitories. Now these dorms are co-ed and are divided up by living community theme. Fremont Hall is no longer in use since it was evacuated in February of 2017.  The students were evacuated after a mudslide behind the dorm caused instability of the land and trees surrounding the building.  

Built 1968

Yosemite Hall was opened in Fall of 1968 for first year housing. Yosemite consists of 10 “towers” that are identified by a number 0-9. The dorms are grouped most years by interests or specific majors. According to the  Cal Poly Staff Bulletin for May 23 , 1967, E. Douglas Gerard, who was the building coordinator for Cal Poly at the time Yosemite construction was built, said "They will create living units of 12 students, each built on a single level around a central service and study facility," which was considerably different from existing on-campus housing.

Built 1973

The Sierra Madre dorms were built in 1973 as a response to housing shortages in the early 1970s. The 6 towers are home to freshmen students and are similar to their neighbors in Yosemite.

Built 2003 and 2008

The Cerro Vista Apartments and Poly Canyon Village were both built more recently to house transfer and continuing students. Cerro Vista was built in 2003 as second-year housing and consists of five sections each named for the hills, or "Cerros," peaks in the string of volcanic "plugs" that end at the Pacific with Morro Rock: Morro, Cabrillo, Hollister, Islay, Romauldo, and Bishop. These apartment-style dorms each have a kitchen, common area, suite style bathrooms, and 3-4 bedrooms. Poly Canyon Village was constructed in 2008 in a similar style to Cerro Vista. There are nine free standing buildings named: Aliso, Buena Vista, Inyo, Corralitos, Estrella, Dover, Huasna, Gypsum, Foxen.

Built 2018

yakʔitʸutʸu is the newest housing complex, opened in Fall 2018 and named after Northern Chumash villages: tsɨtkawayu, elewexe, tšɨłkukunɨtš, tiłhini, nipumuʔ, tsɨtqawɨ, and tsɨtpxatu. In consultation with the Northern Chumash, Cal Poly named the buildings to acknowledge land that Cal Poly sits on and the culture that belongs to the Indigenous People of San Luis Obispo County. You can learn more about the complex and the names of the halls  here.