150 Years of Perseverance: The Story of North Hall is the Story of Mansfield

For 150 years, North Hall has stood guard at the campus “high upon the eastern hill,” an inescapable landmark of the university and the town it serves. With construction of the original North Hall completed in 1874, no one could imagine what those bricks would see in their lifetime.

Former president, Rod Kelchner, captured the spirit of building and university when he said “Mansfield survived many struggles. North Hall is a microcosm of similar challenges.” 

Known as the “Ladies Building,” North Hall was built to serve as the women’s dormitory and to house the campus kitchen and dining hall. From those origins, it expanded, adapted, fell into disrepair, closed, was renovated, and now stands as a proud symbol for Mountaineers of all generations.

“Mansfield always came back. It overcame challenge after challenge and emerged stronger and stronger,” said Kelchner.

The idea of a comeback is nothing new to Mansfield. It is ingrained in the DNA of the university. Mansfield Classical Seminary opened its doors in 1857. Three months later, the school’s only building burned to the ground. The founders immediately vowed to rebuild and continue their dream of making Mansfield a hub for education and growth.

The potential and possibility of education was not lost on one of Mansfield’s most notable figures and a founder, Simon B. Elliot (1830-1917). At the dedication of North Hall, Elliot laid out his vision for the institution, “that the rich and the poor; the child of him who has power and place, and of him who treads the lowly paths of life shall receive alike the blessings of education.” Elliot dedicated the building for the uses of education, “equally and alike without distinction of sex, or race, or creed, or party.”

As student enrollment grew, so did North Hall. By 1894, the central and north portions of the building as we know them today were finished. Electricity was incorporated in 1897—five years after Mansfield played the world’s first night football game at Smythe Park—and by 1909 the southern portion of the building was completed.

As the institution evolved from Mansfield State Normal School (1862-1927) to Mansfield State Teachers College (1927-1960), North Hall also saw several renovations to adapt and modernize its facilities.

The 60s were a time of great change for both the college and North Hall. As the campus grew, areas of the campus transitioned into office space, lounges, and classrooms, while the name evolved into Mansfield State College (1960-1983). It was also an era where plans were made to demolish the building.

The grand staircase was removed in 1969 to make way for the construction of Memorial Hall. Architects changed plans that would have built Memorial over a portion of North Hall following strong protests to save the building.

North Hall was closed in 1982 as Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) took shape and Mansfield University of Pennsylvania (1983-2022) was born. It was then that plans were made for a modern, renovated building.

Tireless work from many individuals, a state appropriation, and a capital campaign secured the funding to renovate North Hall. Completed in 1996, an 18-month project transformed the building into a modern library with internet, executive offices, and dedicated student spaces. The once doomed building was now the proud centerpiece of campus, ready to serve students into the new millennium.

Now, almost three decades after its renovation, North Hall continues to evolve and adapt to meet the needs of its students like the university that surrounds it. Students can learn about the Victorian era the building was constructed in — and lifetimes of information — through a book, over Wi-Fi internet, or in the virtual reality lab.

Meeting the needs of the modern higher education landscape, Mansfield joined forces with Bloomsburg and Lock Haven to form Commonwealth University (2022 to present). Mansfield’s campus, like its prized North Hall, continues to evolve with dogged determination as a bastion of learning and opportunity.

This story appears in the summer 2024 issue of the Mansfieldian Magazine.

150th Anniversary celebrations of North Hall will be held throughout Mansfield's Homecoming on October 4-6.