Cretin Hall

Cretin Hall from the original front

Cretin Hall is one of the male undergraduate residence halls at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It resides on the South Campus, which is just south of the historical Summit Avenue. Cretin was originally constructed as the South Student Residence Building for the Saint Paul Seminary in 1894. It was designed by famous architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed Cretin's two sister buildings, Loras Hall and Grace Hall.^[1] In 1987 Cretin was acquired by St. Thomas and in 1989 it was renovated for use as a residence hall.^[2]

Cretin Hall is named after the first Roman Catholic Bishop of St. Paul, Joseph Crétin. Initial funding came from a $500,000 donation by Great Northern Railway President James J. Hill. Hill’s donation paid for the construction of the Cretin Residence Hall and its twin, Loras Residence Hall.

Cretin Residence Hall is a  4 ¹⁄₂-story, hipped-roof building faced in red pressed brick and designed in what Gilbert called a “Northern Italian style.”

Specifications

Cretin houses 90 students on 5 levels. Community bathrooms with private shower stalls are located on each floor. Common areas include a service desk, computer room, recreation area, kitchenette, laundry room and recreation and TV areas. Cretin Hall is also home to the Ultraviolet Café.

Seventy-five percent of Cretin accommodations are two-person suites consisting of a living room (9' x 13') and bedroom (7' x 13') with 8'6" ceilings. Smaller single-person suites are also available on the 5th floor. Each student is provided a bed, dresser, closet or wardrobe, desk and desk chair; all furniture is movable. Most rooms are not carpeted.

References

Coordinates: 44°56′22″N 93°11′42″W / 44.93944°N 93.19500°W / 44.93944; -93.19500