A-Z: O

In 1912, Lawrence banker Jabez B. Watkins (1845-1921) built the three-story, 26-room house, designed by W.J. Mitchell, for himself and his wife, Elizabeth Miller Watkins. She lived in the home until her death in 1939, bequeathing it to the university as a chancellor’s residence. It replaced the original brick chancellor’s residence at 1345 Louisiana St. 

Chancellor Deane W. Malott and his family were the first to live in the home. The first floor is used for receptions and other public functions; the upper stories are family living quarters. 

Opened in 1966 as a freshman women’s hall, it is named for the first chancellor, R.W. Oliver, in honor of the university’s centennial. It now houses men and women, coed by wing, in two-person or private rooms.

The 22,000-square-foot South Dining Commons links Oliver Hall with the new Cora Downs Residence Hall, which opened in fall 2017 to the west. Oliver Hall's former dining hall has been renovated as an academic commons.

(Naismith Hall, across Naismith Drive east of Oliver, is a private residence hall for men and women.)