Kilachand Hall, formerly known as Shelton Hall and before that the Hotel Sheraton, is one of eight

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

. Living quarters are divided into four- and five-person suites, with a few private doubles. It is one of the few dormitories on campus with private

bathroom A bathroom or washroom is a room, typically in a home or other residential building, that contains either a bathtub or a shower (or both). The inclusion of a wash basin is common. In some parts of the world e.g. India, a toilet is typically ...

s. The ninth floor consists of a study lounge that provides an impressive view of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, the

Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...

, and

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...

History

Hotel Sheraton

The building was constructed in 1923 as one of the first Sheraton hotels by the Bay State Road Company. Above the entrance the name "Sheraton" can still be seen engraved in the concrete. Unlike the hotels of today, the Sheraton was a type of

residential hotel An apartment hotel or aparthotel (also residential hotel, or extended-stay hotel) is a serviced apartment complex that uses a hotel-style booking system. It is similar to renting an apartment, but with no fixed contracts and occupants can "check ...

, where it was common for guests to stay for months without signing a lease. The top floor, given its unique views, was used as a ballroom and social space, playing host to jazz bands. In 1939, Ernest Henderson bought the hotel. At the time, the building had an electric sign on the roof reading "Hotel Sheraton" which would have been expensive to remove so he renamed his other properties to be Sheraton hotels, starting the chain known today.

Shelton Hall

In 1950, the building was bought and renamed to the Hotel Shelton. In 1954, Boston University bought the hotel and converted it to a girls-only dormitory of the same name. In 1953, playwright

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...

died in suite 401 on the fourth floor. In his honor, the fourth floor was named a specialty housing area called the Writer's Corridor. School folklore holds that the building is haunted by the playwright. Lights on this floor are dimmer and the elevators randomly stop at the fourth floor.

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, '' The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terr ...

also claims to have lived there.

Kilachand Hall

In 2010, the building was renamed Kilachand Hall, in accordance with the creation of the Kilachand Honors College. Freshman students in the honors college are required to live on the second, third, fourth, or fifth floor. Kilachand Hall River View

In 2012, the dining hall on the first floor was removed with the opening of a new, larger dining hall, Marciano Commons, across the street. This coincided with a larger renovation of the building that added a study lounge, classroom, and administrative offices for the honors college on the first floor.

References

External links

Kilachand Hall on Boston University
Buildings at Boston University Boston University Housing System {{Boston-struct-stub