Woods Hall Exterior, c. 1943

A photograph of the front exterior of Springfield College's Woods Hall.Woods Hall was erected on May 23, 1904 and dedicated on September 28 of that same year as a social and dining hall on campus. Eleanor S. Woods, a member of the Merriam family (Webster’s dictionary) donated $18,000 for the project having recognized the need for greater social opportunities for the students of the Training School. The central feature of Woods Hall was a dining room which could accommodate 125 or more guests. The first floor of the building also contained a parlor while the second floor was designated for dorm rooms. The building was renovated a number of times throughout its existence. During the summer of 1951 Woods Hall was completely revamped to accommodate the incoming freshman women, Springfield College’s first co-ed class. The faculty dining room, lobby, conference room and main dining hall were covered with bright tile flooring and an acoustic ceiling was built as well as modern recessed lighting. The most significant renovation occurred in 1961 at which time the building received a complete facelift leaving it unrecognizable as the original Woods Hall. In 2008, Woods Hall was demolished to make way for the construction of the Richard B. Flynn Campus Union which was dedicated on February 4, 2010