Join us for another installment in our series on the University of Wyoming’s building history. These posts offer glimpses into the stories behind UW’s well-known buildings. Today we spotlight Hoyt Hall.

Dr. Tony Denzer, UW Professor of Architectural Engineering, remarked in 2015, “Hoyt grabbed me instantly, and all these years later I still believe it is the most interesting building on campus… Why do I love it? Hoyt Hall is simply a beautiful architectural composition. Dubois designed the façade with a wonderfully complex and balanced rhythm. The vertical divisions and subdivisions are endlessly fascinating to study, in the same way English majors might analyze a poem by Keats.”

Hoyt Hall was the second dormitory constructed on campus. On December 12, 1913, UW President Clyde Duniway presented a campus plan to the trustees that included a new women’s dormitory. The trustees passed a resolution “to ask the next session of the legislature for an additional building for women to be used as a Dormitory and for Home Economics.” Dean of Women, Emma Howell Knight, attended a legislative session in January 1915 to lobby for the dormitory.

The plan moved forward and on June 8, 1915, Cheyenne architect William Dubois presented plans to the trustees for the new dorm. In August, Archie Allison, a Cheyenne builder, was awarded the building contract. Construction began soon after and the building’s foundation was completed by mid-September. By March 1916, the building, with capacity to house about 40 students, was nearing completion. Like Merica Hall, Hoyt Hall would be completed in multiple phases.

On June 6, 1916, the trustees, in an ironic turn of events, named the building to honor the university’s first president, Dr. John Wesley Hoyt. Born in Ohio in 1831, Hoyt graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1849 and later received his medical degree from the Eclectic Medical Institute in Ohio in 1853. He played a pivotal role at UW, serving as one of its initial board of trustees before becoming president. During his tenure, he expanded state funding, initiated land grants, and taught multiple courses, all while maintaining his position. Hoyt also served as a Wyoming territorial governor in 1886 and was elected to the State Constitutional Convention in 1889, where he drafted the wording for the Education Article, most of which still exists in the state’s present constitution.

However, the board of trustees dismissed him in 1890, citing him as “too visionary and impractical.” He left for Washington, D.C., where he pursued an unsuccessful endeavor to establish a national university before passing away in 1912, not long before the completion of his namesake building.

Hoyt Hall was ready for the summer school session on June 12, 1916. However, the students had no beds, as the shipment was still in transit via the railroad. The beds finally arrived and were assembled and in place by June 15.

At its November 12, 1920, meeting, the trustees began planning for the expansion of the dormitory. William Dubois also designed the addition. John Howard, a Cheyenne builder, was awarded the building contract on May 2, 1921. The original building consisted of the central portion. The expansion added wings to the existing structure. Construction began immediately, and the project was completed almost exactly a year later on May 1, 1922. It was available for graduation receptions, other year-end festivities, and summer school that began in early June.

Hoyt Hall was soon adapted to serve evolving needs. The next year, 1923, the building was adapted to provide needed office space for faculty in the English, Creative Writing, and Modern and Classical Languages departments. When UW hosted famed poet Robert Frost in spring 1939, his visit was hosted in Hoyt Hall in a room subsequently renamed the “Frost Library.”

The story is told that English professor Wilson O. Clough once delivered a lecture in Hoyt Hall from a ground floor room on a beautiful day. Taking advantage of the fine weather, Clough spoke while seated on the sill of an open window. Leaning back to emphasize a point, he lost his balance, tumbled backward out the window, landing on the grass a few feet below. Much to the astonishment of the class, without a beat, he promptly reappeared at the window and continued his lecture with a nonchalant, “As I was saying…”

As new dormitories were being planned, the trustees approved the conversion of Hoyt Hall completely into office space at its August 3, 1962, meeting. Planning for the conversion began in the fall of 1964. In the spring of 1965, university officials determined the renovated hall would best be utilized by the departments of English, Modern Languages, and Philosophy, as well as International Studies and some College of Education offices. On October 15, 1965, the building contract was awarded to Spiegelberg Lumber and Building Company, of Laramie. When the project was completed, an open house to tour the remodeled building occurred on June 6, 1966.

Half a century later, in 2016, Hoyt Hall underwent another significant renovation to modernize the building and ensure its continued functionality. The $2.9 million project focused on addressing life-safety and accessibility requirements, enhancing interior finishes, and upgrading energy-efficient systems. The renovation included improvements to offices, classrooms, and study areas, as well as the installation of new lighting, electrical, and data systems. These changes have helped Hoyt Hall remain a vital part of the university’s academic facilities, serving the needs of students and faculty for more than a century.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in our exploration of UW’s historical buildings, where we uncover the story behind the longtime battle to build UW’s first library as well as the beginnings of Aven Nelson’s iconic career at the University.

To gain further insight into UW’s architectural history, we invite you to explore the AHC’s virtual exhibit “Keeping History Alive: 136 Years of Progress.” This informative showcase blends historic UW campus images with modern-day photographs from 2022, offering an insight into the campus’s ever-evolving narrative and its timeless features. For additional perspectives on campus development and architecture, explore our exhibit “University of Wyoming: A Brief History of Campus.”