History

Kansas State University Housing and Dining Services Historical Timeline

An appreciation for history and tradition is something all Wildcats have in common. The Department of Housing and Dining Services is proud of its success in making K-State a "home away from home" for students since 1948, and we'd like to share with you a list of notable events that occurred in the decades since.

1948: Housing and Dining Services was founded.

Its name at the time was the Department of Housing, which changed to Housing and Dining Services in 1990. The office was located in Anderson Hall.

A. Thornton Edwards was the first director of the department (1947 – 1974), followed by

  • Thomas J. Frith (1974 – 1990)
  • Charles Werring (1990 – 2011)
  • Derek Jackson (2011 – present)

1926: Van Zile Hall was built as an all-female hall.

It became coeducational in fall of 1968.

1946: Military barracks are converted to a temporary dining service, nicknamed “Bessie’s Beanery,” after Bessie B. West.

West was head of Kansas State Agricultural College's Department of Institutional Management for its first 28 years, until 1956. She co-authored the first college text in institutional management, Food Service in Institutions, which was published in 1938. She also co-authored Food for Fifty, a guidebook on preparing food in large quantities.

1946: Memorial Stadium and military barracks provided accommodations for an influx of veterans returning from the war.

West Stadium housed 150 single men, East Stadium housed 66 and the barracks, named Moro Courts, housed 300.

1947: The department’s first maintenance shop opened.

1952: Southeast Hall (Putnam Hall) opened.

It was renamed “Putnam Hall” in honor of Dr. L. Irene Putnam on January 14, 1961. In 1955, Putnam established the Henry J. Putnam memorial scholarship at K-State in honor of her late husband, and in 1958 she funded the Maitland E. Smith Scholarship House in honor of her brother.

1957: Jardine Apartments were built.

The complex contained eight buildings: A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H.

1951: Northwest Hall (Boyd Hall) opened.

It was renamed “Boyd Hall” in honor of Mamie Alexander Boyd on January 14, 1960. Boyd was the first woman president of KSU's Alumni Association, 1930-1932, and the first person to receive K-State’s distinguished service award in journalism (1957). She was named Kansas Press Woman of the Year (1957), and was the first woman to receive the William Allen White Award for Journalistic Merit (1967).

1955: North Campus Courts opened.

It contained 52 spots for mobile homes.

1959: Eleven buildings at Jardine Apartments were added.

1960: Goodnow Hall was completed.

It was named after Isaac T. Goodnow, founder of Bluemont Central College, in 1965.

1960: Kramer Dining Center was completed.

It was known as Kramer Food Center, which was named after Martha M. Kramer, assistant dean of home economics, 1945 to 1960.

1961: Smurthwaite Leadership/Scholarship House for women was opened.

It was named for Georgiana Hope Smurthwaite, Home Demonstration Leader, 1937-1955.

1962: Bessie B. “West” Hall was completed, and became part of the Derby Complex.

1963: Five more Jardine buildings were added.

1963 – 1965: Jardine Apartments’ Buildings Q and Y were residence halls for women.

1964: Marlatt Hall was completed.

Along with Goodnow Hall and Kramer Dining Center, it became the Kramer Complex in 1965. Marlatt Hall was named after Washington Marlatt, principal of Bluemont Central College, 1860-1863.

1965: Moore Hall was completed as the first part of the Derby Complex.

Moore was named in 1967 after Helen Moore, dean of women, 1940-1957.

1965: Derby Food Center opened.

It was named after Grace Derby, librarian, 1911-1951.

1965: Thomas Frith became the first residence hall program director at K-State.

His task was to develop and coordinate all residence hall social and educational activities.

1967: Ford Hall, part of the Derby Complex, was completed.

It was named for Kenney L. Ford, Alumni Association Secretary, 1928-1961.

1967: Haymaker Hall, part of the Derby Complex, was completed.

It was named for Herbert Henley Haymaker, professor of botany, 1917-1963.

1967: Pittman Building, main office for Housing and Dining Services, was built.

It was named for Martha S. Pittman, department head of Food Economics and Nutrition, 1923-1946.

1970: 123 spaces were developed within the current residence halls.

1985: Jardine Building L became the Child Development Center.

1987: Associate Director John Pence won the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association Silver Plate Award.

1990: Charles J. Werring became director.

1990: Frith Community Center was built.

It was named for Thomas J. Frith, director of housing and dining services, 1974-1990.

1995: Williams Place was established at Jardine Apartments.

In 2006 it became known simply as “standard renovated apartments.”

1999: Wiley Apartments were established within Jardine Apartments.

In 2006 they became known simply as “standard renovated apartments.”

2006: First renovated building at Jardine Apartments opened (Building W).

2006: Jardine Apartments P and Q were renovated and reopened.

2007: Jardine Apartments R and U were renovated and reopened.

2008: Jardine Apartments Building X was renovated and reopened.

February 1, 2007: Jardine Apartments Building 9 opened.

Justin and Janette Moldrup were the first residents to check in to the new apartments.

August 1, 2007: Jardine Apartments Buildings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11 and 13 opened.

October 2007: Jardine Apartments Buildings 1A, 6 and 12 opened.

Summer 2008: Jardine Apartments office moves to the Tower building.

Fall 2008: Jardine Apartments Building 8 was opened.

2010: The Jardine Marketplace was established.

It contained a retail area soon to contain JP’s Sports Grill (2011), CornerStone Coffee and Bakery and Quik Cats convenience store.

2010-2011: Dormsplash listed K-State’s residence halls and resident assistants among the top ten in the United States.

January 2010: Jardine Apartments Building D, the first highly renovated apartments, opened.

2011: Derek Jackson succeeds Charles Werring as director of the department.

August 2011: Jardine Apartments Building L was reopened for Living Community residents.

These apartments are run in a residence hall style, rather than apartment-style living.

2012: The Princeton Review ranked K-State’s dining services among the nation’s top 15 in the 2012 edition of “The Best 376 Colleges.”

May 2012: Mary Molt, associate director, received the prestigious Gold Plate Award.

It was presented by the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association for her contributions to the advancement of the foodservice industry (after receiving a Silver Plate Award for excellence in non-commercial foodservice earlier that year).

June 1, 2012: K-State gains access to the LC on Claflin apartments in response to the increasing demand for housing.

July 2012: Jardine Apartments Building E, the second highly renovated apartment building, opened.

August 1, 2012: Jardine Apartments Buildings 14, 15 and 16 opened.

October 2012: K-State’s top-of-the-line living facilities and resident assistants are recognized on the Today Show by the organization IvyWise.

October 2012: Michael Crow joined the staff as our first associate director for administrative services.

February 2013: “Quik Cats Cliffside” opened on the south end of the Chester E. Peters Recreational Complex.

April 2013: HDS announced that Honors House will open in August 2013.

Honors House was opened as a coed residence hall west of campus for students in the University Honors Program.

2015: Dining center renovations and a new residence hall to house 400 additional students are scheduled for completion.

2016: Wefald Hall and the new Kramer Dining Center were completed in the fall of 2016, after construction began in 2014.

March 2018: Union Station by JP's Gastropub opened in the K-State Student Union.

The creation and construction of the restaurant was part of the overall Union renovation project.

January 2021: Derby Dining Center reopened for service following a year-long renovation.

The renovation included a new entry on the southeast corner of the building, updates to the first floor, a new single staircase entry to the food service area, and a new open dining experience on the second floor. Updates to the heat and air systems as well as the fire safety systems occurred as well.

March 2021: The Bakery at Derby Dining Center reopened following a year-long renovation in Derby.

The Bakery added a new customer service counter, in addition to the online ordering services popular across campus and throughout the Manhattan community.