Old Cafeteria Complex (Refectory, North Cafeteria, Dining Hall, Financial Aid Building)

The Dining Hall, located just south of the Administration Building, was one of the charter buildings on campus. Throughout the Training School era, it united students daily for meals, serving as a common center on campus. Convenience stores, fast food stops, and alternative student dining choices were not an option in early-twentieth-century Greenville.

The importance of the dining hall became painfully evident on April 1, 1915 when a fire gutted the hall and seriously damaged the kitchen. The cause of the fire was never determined. A night watchman had passed the building just minutes before flames burst through its roof and noticed nothing. Fire crews were summoned immediately and spent the next two hours putting out the flames. Without the dining hall and campus meals, the school had to be closed. Fortunately, Easter break began the following day. As led by President Robert H. Wright, the Training School responded to the emergency with astonishing efficiency, minimizing the egregious consequences that the disaster might have brought.

At an impromptu 11:30 pm assembly held as fire was being extinguished, President Wright announced that all girls should return to their homes for Easter, and that the holiday would be extended by one week to allow for repairs. Commencement would not be delayed. Missed work would be made up with intensive effort after the break. Wright assured all that the Dining Hall would be serviceable by the time of their return. The community was promptly organized to provide breakfast the next morning before the girls’ departure. All but five had departed for their Easter break by the next day’s end.

Upon completion a week later, the repaired Dining Hall gave proof of the school’s resilience and readiness to overcome even unexpected adversity with aplomb. While the recovery required quick action on the part of school security personnel, fire fighters, faculty, students, community members, and parents, President Wright deserved and received wide praise for meeting the emergency with dispatch. When the students returned, dinner was served in the repaired dining hall. Classes resumed with faculty and students intent on completing the year. A temporary roof had been installed, miraculously, in less than a week. Permanent repairs were to wait for summer. Before the year was out, the Training School Quarterly featured pictures of the remodeled kitchen and dining area, clear visual evidence that the school had weathered the fire, indomitable.

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Sources

• “Dining Hall, E.C.T.T. School, Greenville, N.C.” J. Y. Joyner Library, Identifier: 275.1.d.14. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/317.
• “Dining Hall reconstruction after fire.” J. Y. Joyner Library, Identifier: 55.01.0139. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/22871.
• “Dining Hall reconstruction after fire.” J. Y. Joyner Library, Identifier: 55.01.0541. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/22941.
• “East Carolina Training School Will Reopen Tuesday.” News and Observer. April 12, 1915. P. 1.
• “Fire at East Carolina Training School.” Salisbury Evening Post. April 2, 1915. P. 6.
• “Men working in kitchen.” University Archives # 50-02-1915 ¾. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/10323.
• “School Notes: The Fire.” Training School Quarterly. Vol. 2, no. 1. April, May, June, 1915. Pp. 71-72.
• “Training School at Greenville Opens Tuesday.” High Point Enterprise. April 12, 1915. P. 3.
• “Training School Ready to Reopen.” Charlotte Observer. April 12, 1915. P. 10.
• “Training School Has Resumed Its Labors.” Greensboro Daily News. April 18, 1915. P. 7.

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Other names

Refectory, North Cafeteria, Dining Hall, Financial Aid Building

Built

1909

Construction cost

$9,382.40, bid

Gross sq. ft.

46,268

Assignable sq. ft.

35,542

Architects

Hook & Rogers, Charlotte, NC & H.W. Simpson, New Bern, NC

History

One of the school’s original six buildings, the Old Cafeteria Complex has served as a dining complex, financial aid and cashier’s office, and geology lab. In 1915, a fire destroyed much of the roof. School President Robert Wright dismissed the students for one week to enact repairs, which marked the first Spring Break in East Carolina’s history. Part of the Spanish tile roof was removed in 1985 as the building underwent a renovation and expansion to accommodate the larger staff needed to match the school’s growth.

In 1909 the campus consisted of two dormitories, the Administration Building, Power Plant, Infirmary and the Refectory. Photographs and architectural drawings show the small kitchen and dining room built in 1909. On April 1, 1915 a leaky chimney caused a fire which gutted the building; only the exterior brick walls remained. During the following summer, a new kitchen was constructed and the old kitchen converted into additional dining space.

With the growth of the student body, more dining facilities were required. George Berryman designed an addition to the Dining Hall in 1927. Other additions to the building took place in later years.

The original Soda Shop was built in the summer of 1946. It was an addition to the Dining Hall as described in the following press release

Greenville, July 1946 — A large lobby adjacent to the post office and dining halls of East Carolina Teachers College is being converted into a modernistic soda shop. Work on the project already is under way and is expected to be completed during the summer, F.D. Duncan, treasurer, has announced.

Mr. Duncan also stated that the terrace between the dining halls will be landscaped and an outdoor court provided for soda shop patrons during hot weather. The soda shop will be well-lighted, roomy, and will be equipped with a new soda fountain if one can be procured.

The Dining Hall also known as the North Cafeteria, was empty for much of the 1970s and 1980s. Private vendors now provide dining services for the university and additional dining facilities have been created. A 1985 renovation included reframing the roof, removal of part of the tile roof and replacement of the tile roof with an asphalt shingle roof. It once housed the Geology Sedimentological Laboratory in the basement and the Institute for Coastal and Marine Resources on the main floor. It is now the home of Mail Services, Financial Aid and the Internal Auditor's Office.

Additions

1927 – George Berryman, Raleigh, NC
1916 – New kitchen built after fire
1946 – Lobby remodeled to include a Soda Shop, building also housed the Post Office
1985 – Roof reconstruction

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