A Building
Hill Hall
Countless times I have walked up and down 6th avenue, past Hill hall. Surprisingly during my time at Seattle Pacific University I have not met anyone from Hill. During my tour of the school as a new student, it was one of the only buildings I did not tour. Knowing no one from Hill kept the building a mystery to me. What was this old building in the middle of 6th and Bertona? Why and how did it receive the title Hill, if it is not on top of a hill? How and when did it become part of Seattle Pacific University? My search for answers while challenging was not impossible and lead me to interesting facts about the building.
Hill is a large five story residence building set off from the street, surrounded by small trees and bushes next to which lies a grassy hill area known as “the beach”. It neighbors Arnett Hall located down the hill, Ashton Hall right above and is a step away from Gwinn commons. You can tell from the looks of it, that it is aged. The dormitory is sectioned off into rectangular halls. These halls create the building’s north and south wings. Near the entrance, large glass windows allow you to see the inviting warmth of the lounge. Creams, faded browns and navy blues fill the Hall, reminiscent of being in a 1960’s movie. The building takes you back in time. When I first entered, there was a small silver plaque on the wall that read,” Hill Residence Halls. Dedicated to the Christian nature of students away from home. Name in Honor of Mr and Mrs Rueben D. Hill.”
My eyes were next directed to the faded, cloth chairs with rustic patterns. In the lounge sits an old wooden piano, some antique lamps, and faded furniture, while white string lights line the ceiling illuminating the room with warmth. The dorm rooms shared similar qualities as the rest of the hall. Continuing the pattern of the rest of the building, they were small, filled with more muted wood: a bunkbed, chair and desk. Hill Hall is comfortable and homey. It is easy to tell it has been well loved but well taken care of. There is incredible personality to Hill, it knows its age, but it is proud of it.
During my historical investigation I found that Hill was one of the many buildings added to the Seattle Pacific campus around the 1960’s. Construction of the dormitory lasted for two years and it was completed in 1962. The period in which Hill was constructed, was a time of educational prosperity and funding from the government. After WWII, as quoted by Archivist Adrienne Meier, “There as a boom in enrollment at SPU and a boom in federal government money for higher education.” This money under the rein of President C. Dorr Demaray (1959–68) was taken advantage of and used to expand the campus. In a Seattle Times article I found information on C. Dorr Remarry and his impact on the school. As stated in the article, “His decade saw the largest number of new buildings constructed on campus,” (McDermott, Seattle Times). Some of these buildings included Gwinn commons (the current cafeteria), Weter Memorial Hall and the two residence halls Hill and Ashton. Demaray had an active presidency, generating a lot significant change at SPU. Changes in the college curriculum were implemented and there was increased success in athletic teams. As quoted by his son Wendell Demaray in a Seattle Times article, “He was always a bigger thinker,” (McDermott, Seattle Times), and was accepting of change for the better.
Hill hall is one of two buildings built on land donated by the Reuben Hill family. The other building is called the Hillford House, which is not part of Hill Hall. Both of these buildings stand still today, over fifty years old. A picture from Seattle Pacific University archives, shows a group of people sitting in Hill. Below a quote from an alumni Gary Morgan says, “In fact, it looks like the same furniture was still around when I lived in Hill 1969–1971!.” This can tell you a lot about the building, it has not changed a bit. The buildings created on the land given by the Hill family have a long standing legacy maintained through the lives of living family members.
My investigation of the original Reuben Hill family proved to be a bit of a challenge. There was plenty of electronic information available about Alec and Col. Reuben, the most recent members of the family to be connected to SPU. There was little text that I could dig up, about he original donators. This lack of information leads me to wonder if Mr. and Mrs. Hill did not want a lot of information about them to be shared with the public. Or their donation occurred so long ago that much of the history that went with it was not saved. What I could find however, was that the Reuben’s initially moved to Washington from Minnesota and were firm Christians. Recent members the family have had significant association with Seattle Pacific University. In a Seattle Pacific University Response article I found that Alec Hill a descendant of the Hills was part of the Alumni’s of the year in 2012. Having graduated from the college he also had a chance to teach at SPU. During his time at the college Alec made a lasting impact on staff and students around him. As stated in this article, “The Hill family name is deeply embedded in SPU History,” (Kelly, Seattle Pacific University Response). Alec continued the Reuben family legacy at SPU.
Research also lead me to a Seattle Times article talking about Col.Cyrill Hill, Alec’s father and son of Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Hill. In this article a quote by an SPU President Daivd LeShana, “said Col. Hill, along with the rest of his family, typified the kind of people who are willing to invest their time and gifts in a cause such as higher education,” (Shatzkin Seattle Times). Col and Alec, while not the donators of the land are family members who through their actions and affiliation with SPU, represent their families beliefs. From this it is possible to infer a lot about the original donators. The Hill family has shown through their donation of land that they understand and support the importance of education. The family also had religious history as Christians so part of their contribution may have been facilitating and encouraging the religious reputation that SPU provides.
The Hill families gracious donation of land can be compared to other philanthropists in history. Specifically in their donation I drew a connection to philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. In his Gospel of Wealth who preaches the importance to practical giving, to better society. Carnegie in his writing says, “Even the poorest can be made to see this, and to agree that great sums gathered by some of their fellow citizens and spent for public purposes, from which the masses reap the principle benefit, are more valuable to them than if scattered among themselves…,” (Carnegie 89). The Reuben’s while they did not donate a large sum of money to SPU, did donate land. This I think is comparable to Carnegie’s belief of giving for the purpose to benefitting many people instead of just a few. The Reuben’s could have kept the land or sold it to new owners, and in that case only a few people would have benefitted from the land. Instead donating the land for the SPU dormitory, many students could benefit and continue to benefit from their donation.
The many questions I had about Hill hall were answered through my historical investigation. The lack of information about the Mr. and Mrs. Reuben, whom the building was named for, was amended by the information I found of their family members who continued to play active roles at SPU after their parents. The Reuben family donated the land for higher education, in a sense to better society, similar to other philanthropists in history.
SPU Archives: Midcentury Mod Dorm
Sources:
“Hill Hall.” Residence Life: Current Students. Seattle Pacific University, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
Kelly Clint, “Renewing University Campuses One Student at a Time,” Seattle Pacific University Response, Seattle Pacific University, 2012, http://spu.edu/depts/uc/response/new/2011-autumn/alumni/alumnus-of-the-year.asp, 16 Nov. 2016.
Mcdermott Terry, “C. Dorr Demaray, 91; College Expanded During His Presidency,” The Seattle Times, Seattle Times Company, 4 Nov. 1992, http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19921104&slug=1522615,16 Nov 2016.
McNichols, Donald. Seattle Pacific University: A Growing Vision. N.p.: n.p., 1989. Print
Shatzkin Kate, “Col. Cyril Dean Hill, Military Man, Lawyer And SPU Philanthropist”, The Seattle Times, Seattle Times Company, 12 Dec. 1990, http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19901212&slug=1108980. 16 Nov 2016.
“Seattle Pacific University Office of the President Records, 1909–1995.” Archives West: Seattle Pacific University Office of the President Records, 1909–1995. Seattle Pacific University, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.
