Ernest L. Kurth Residence Hall, an integral piece to the university's campus, marks a distinct chapter in the institution's history. Constructed in the early 1960s, the hall embodies the University's evolution and the complex legacy of its namesake benefactor.
By the late 1950s, Southwestern University faced a critical issue: a severe lack of residential space for the swelling student body. Enrollment had hit maximum capacity, leading to the urgent necessity of constructing additional dormitories. This need was particularly pressing for female students, as an alarming number of qualified applicants were being turned away simply due to lack of housing. The situation underscored a stark reality: the institution's continued growth and commitment to its students depended on the immediate expansion of its residential facilities.
Recognizing the urgency, the Board of Trustees, in November 1960, green-lighted the construction of a new women's dormitory. This new residence would bear the name "E. L. Kurth Residence Hall" in honor of the late Ernest L. Kurth, a prominent board trustee and industrialist who had significantly contributed to the university, even staving off financial ruin for Southwestern in 1937. However, it is worth noting that despite his contributions, Kurth held firm pro-segregationist views, significantly influencing the university's delayed response to the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954.
The financial backbone for the project was primarily provided by the Board of Trustees, who deemed it inappropriate to solicit funds from the Kurth family. With an initial budget of $350,000, the costs ultimately ballooned to nearly $400,000, encompassing architectural fees and furnishings for the new residence hall.
Designed by architect George Page, the three-story Texas limestone structure was situated east of Laura Kuykendall Hall. Its construction, however, hit a speed bump, delaying its completion. During this interim period, 42 female juniors and seniors were temporarily housed in the Sneed House for the 1960-61 academic year. It wasn't until after the Christmas holidays of 1961, at the onset of 1962, that women students could finally move into Kurth Hall.
Upon completion, Kurth Hall had the capacity to house 92 women students. This addition significantly boosted the university's overall housing capacity, enabling it to accommodate up to 300 resident women. The hall became a vibrant center of student life, hosting various activities throughout the academic year, including women's advisory meetings and gatherings for groups like the ASW (Association of Women Students) council.
Initially serving as a residence for upper-class women, Kurth Hall underwent a shift in the mid-1990s and began to house first-year women. This change signaled the hall's evolving role in tandem with the shifting needs of the student body.
In a significant turn of events, as part of a wave of building renamings that swept the country in 2020, Southwestern University decided to rename Kurth Hall in the summer of 2020. The hall was renamed after Ernest L. Clark, the university's first African-American student and graduate.
Since then, we have had two classes of first-year women who have known the Hall only as Clark Hall, with a third such class arriving on campus this fall. But after the new first-year mixed-use residence hall is built east of Clark in 2024, Clark itself will be torn down. Then, not only will Clark’s name disappear from the commemorative landscape, but it will be harder than ever to reconcile the dilemma posed by the University’s relationship to Ernest L. Kurth.
