Hexagonal rooms. That’s what first struck me about Haggett Hall. I’d never seen anything like it. Imagine a dorm with rooms shaped like honeycombs each with a triangular closet.
Haggett Hall isn’t just any dorm. It’s a piece of University of Washington history. Named after Arthur Haggett Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and his wife Winnifred Sunderlin Haggett Dean of Women. This building opened in 1963. It was the first coed residence hall on campus.
Originally the north tower housed women. The south tower housed men. You can tell from the bathrooms. The south tower once had urinals. The bathrooms were renovated in 2006. By 1997 both towers were unisex. Haggett Hall even housed the Global Experience Living Learning Community until 2021. Due to high demand for housing it reopened temporarily in 2021-2022. It closed permanently in 2022. Demolition began in 2024.
But the story doesn’t end there. A new Haggett Hall is planned. It’s set to open in the fall of 2027. This new building will be a 230000 square foot residence hall and wellness center. It will house 800 students. It aims for LEED Gold certification. The new hall is designed to be socially sustainable. The design emphasizes community and well-being. It integrates the site’s landscape beautifully. It also includes a wellness program.
This new Haggett Hall will be more than just a place to sleep. It will be a hub for student life. A place where students can connect with each other. A place where they can thrive academically and personally. It promises stunning views of Lake Washington and the North Cascades. So while the old Haggett Hall may be gone its legacy lives on. The new Haggett Hall will continue to shape the lives of UW students for generations to come.