David Baines ’69 had just stepped on campus in 1965 when he discovered that he would be joining 15 other males in calling the old Myers Annex on Woodlawn Avenue home. Together, they would share two sets of bunk beds in four second-floor bedrooms along with a first-floor lounge in a house directly across from the Gamma Phi Beta abode. The annex would be considered another floor in Myers and joining the 16 men would be a resident adviser, Harold “Skip” Theis ’66.

Tight quarters to be sure, yet a setup that would result in a lifetime of memories and serve as a means for handling the university’s housing challenges that year.

“The girls at Gamma Phi sort of adopted us,” Baines recalled, and “became our ‘big sisters.’” They would help with laundry and sewing, and they also would invite them over to the sorority house for snacks and food. In addition, the sisters occasionally set the boys up with freshmen pledges during sorority rush.

“We partied, but we also minded our studies,” Baines said. “I seem to remember our annex winning the Myers Hall trophy that first semester for having the highest G.P.A. of all the floors.”

Theis also remembered the Myers Annex, especially his separate entry, the penny-ante poker games and his primer-spotted, memory-filled Leopard-looking car parked outside. He considered the Myers Annex to be an exceptional opportunity for a small group to develop lifelong friendships.

This was also the case in the former North Annex, which was located in a duplex on West Cassilly across from the former Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house, now the Polis House. The North Annex had only two bathrooms, no showers, a lounge and its own band, the Sons of Bach, according to resident Jeff Connelly ’70.

“We were a rowdy bunch, really high-maintenance,” he explained.

Rules weren’t always enforceable in the North Annex, Connelly added, especially not with all the doors and windows, and 32 ready-for-action men whose late hours led to missed classes the first few weeks. Among the activities enjoyed by the North Annex residents were “tobogganing” on cardboard sleds down the stairs, out the door and down the front steps into the snow, catching rays on the roof and emptying the vending machine of candy and coins for three weeks before it was removed.

Mark Segreti ’67, the resident adviser to the North Annex, had similar memories. He recalled that there were a number of top-notch athletes who were “energetic” living there, but he added that when he had to draw the line, they all worked together.

Though different from today’s housing options, these annex dwellers’ experiences remain a far cry from the days of students carrying wood or coal up several flights of stairs, reading by lantern light and bathing in an outdoor shed with water piped through a conduit from a cold stream. And it’s an even further cry from Wittenberg’s humble beginnings. Back then, students lived in cottages near campus until the first wing of the initial college building was under roof.

In 1874, when women first enrolled, they too faced housing challenges. Many lived in Springfield with their families, while others came to live with relatives near campus until 1888 when a frame structure with a parlor, music room and dining room, all accoutrements considered necessary for women of the day, opened. The structure accommodated 22 women, a housemother and a caretaker, and it was erected on the corner across from the Benjamin Prince House. Its first occupants soon named the structure Ferncliff Hall.

By 1911, more space was needed, and the house was moved to the rear of the property. A new brick structure was then built and linked to the original house, which was then bricked to match. Following some lean years as a result of limited housing for women, the new Ferncliff Hall opened on the site and offered housing for 140 students. Other options apparently explored for female housing included auxiliary houses and the use of the third floor of the Shawnee Hotel during the 1960s.

Despite such challenges, Wittenberg continues to try to meet students’ needs when it comes to the residence facilities. Air conditioning, cable television and Internet access are just a few of the housing improvements throughout the years, and a new 48-unit residence complex will be ready for juniors and seniors this fall. In addition, the university plans to clear a site for a new residence hall later this year. — Phyllis Eberts ’00