In 1947, the General Assembly appropriated $488,388 for the construction of a new men’s dormitory.1 In 1950, the student legislature requested that the university name the new dormitory in honor of the recently deceased Ronald James Slay who they hailed as a “leading figure in the college from 1923 to 1947.”2 During his time at East Carolina, Slay served as a professor, department head, registrar, and college dean.3
Slay Hall opened in the summer of 1950, providing beds for 216 men. The construction of this new male dormitory relieved Ragsdale Hall, originally a teacher’s dormitory and later a female residence hall, from housing male occupants on the first floor.4 During the 1950s, Slay Hall served upperclassmen. In 1973, low enrollment led to the dormitory’s temporary closing. The residence hall reopened as a single-occupancy coed dorm (the only coed dormitory at this time other than Garrett Hall) in the Fall of 1974.5
- Built
- 1949
- Construction cost
- $512,000
- Gross sq. ft.
- 34,269
- Assignable sq. ft.
- 24,597
- Architects
- Eric G. Flannagan, Henderson, NC
- Namesake
- Dr. Ronald J. Slay (1890-1948) was a Science professor (1923-1947), the second director of the Science Department, and the first academic dean at East Carolina. A Ph.D. graduate of Columbia University, he was also the first to hold a Ph.D. in science at East Carolina. Dr. Slay was recognized as a leading promoter for the expansion of East Carolina. In 1950, the Student Legislature requested that the building be named in his honor as “a leading figure in the growth and development of the college” from 1923 to 1947.
- History
- Groundbreaking took place in 1948 with construction completed in early 1949. This 2 story, U – shaped dormitory was built to house 216 men and in 1961 the building was converted into a women’s dormitory. Slay Dormitory is also recognized as being the last building on campus constructed with a tile roof.
- Additions
- 1954 – Annex
1961 – Converted to women’s dormitory, James W. Griffith, Jr., Greenville, NC
1961 – addition of T-shaped colonial style lobby, James W. Griffith, Jr., Greenville, NC
Sources
1 Teco Echo, Vol XXV, No 12, January 13, 1950.
2 Batten, In Retrospect, p. 91.
3 Batten, In Retrospect, p. 91.
4 East Carolina Teachers Training School Annual Catalog, 1949-1950.
5 ECC Bulletin, 1955-1956; Enrollment Soars; Housing Inadequate,” Fountainhead, Vol. 6, No.1, 10 September 1974; (“Fall and Summer Dorm Room Fees Due Soon,” Fountainhead Vol. 5 No. 46, 9 April 1974.
Additional Related Material
