Laws Hall

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Laws Hall is a residence hall at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Located at the corner of Maryland Avenue and Kentucky Boulevard, Laws is comprised of a gross area of 72,871 square feet over 9 floors and basement area. The street address is 1005 Maryland Ave. 65201. The structure was constructed in 1957 as a women's residence hall.

Prior to the construction of Laws Hall, the area of campus was known as Fairway Village. Beginning in 1946 as men returned from the war effort, Fairway Village was a field of trailers that were home to the waves of men and their families returning to begin or complete their college education. As the need for the trailer village areas eventually declined in the 1950s, the area was left prime for development of traditional university residence structures, and Laws was built along with Lathrop and Jones Halls.

Laws Hall was named for Samuel Spahr Laws. Laws served as President of the University of Missouri from 1876 to 1889. Laws is regarded as one of the more interesting figures in MU history. His active interest in the sciences lead to the establishment of a school of engineering and the building of Laws Observatory, the first observatory west of the Mississippi River, in 1877. Laws established the observatory and the telescope within it with his personal funds, and he also acquired the Thomas Jefferson headstone while in office. As president of the university, the autocratic Laws alienated students, faculty and the state legislature. He attempted to regulate all aspects of student life, and opposed admitting women to the university. Several faculty members resigned. In spite of his generous fundraising for an observatory, students hated Laws. They petitioned to have him fired, especially when he would chase students back to campus on days when students would traditionally cut class. Laws resigned from his position with the university in 1889 amid a scandal that erupted when he purchased the carcass of a circus elephant named Emperor for $1,685 after the legislature had specifically refused to pay for it.

[edit] Current Usage

Laws Hall is currently a co-ed residence hall, which houses mostly first-year students in specified communities related to areas of study. The first floor consists of front desk and office area, lounge and study space, and the residence hall director's office and living quarters. The second and their floors are home to a culturally diverse community known as Pangea that explores the customs of many nationalities and is home to many international students. The fourth and fifth floors, as well as the eighth and ninth floors, are home to the World of Business Learning Communities. The sixth and seventh floors are home to students involved in military ROTC programs.

Although plans were proposed for the demolition of the building as early as 2012 as part of the university's plan to create all new living spaces through renovation and new construction, the current plan is for Laws Hall to close for renovation in summer 2017 and reopen in fall 2018 as the final component of the current Department of Residential Life Master Plan.

[edit] Notable Former Residents

• Beth Low (BA '99), Missouri State House of Representatives (D-Kansas City; 2004-present)