Joseph-Reynolds Hall

Formerly known as the Dormitory for Women

The oldest building on the Florida Southern College campus is the Women's Dormitory built in 1922. The building was later dedicated as Joseph-Reynolds Hall during the 1937 Founders Week celebration to honor three generous contributors of the College: Professors Corydon S. and Louise R. Joseph as well as Mrs. Joseph's mother Louise Reynolds. The hall has been known as "JR" ever since and is still home to first-year women. When JR was one of only a few buildings on campus, it also contained several offices, including that of the school newspaper, The Southern, and some administrative offices. Furnishings dating to the 17th Century were provided by the New York City head of sanitation William F. Carey. Some of these furnishings are still in the drawing room. In 1945, the drawing room was dedicated to Eleanor Searle Vanderbilt Whitney McCollum, a donor and Trustee for many years. She had enrolled as a freshman in the music program but left to find success as a singer, allowing her to become a donor to the college. By the 1960s, decades after the building's construction, the lobby of Joseph-Reynolds Hall was closed in. Prior to that, the area had been open to the outside.

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