Vann Residence Hall is a four-story building housing Meredith College upperclassmen. Opened in 1926, it was one of the four original dormitories on the new college campus. It is located directly behind and to the west of Johnson Hall.
When Meredith College moved from downtown Raleigh to the new site, Dorm “C” was one of the six permanent buildings erected on the new campus. That first winter, it housed only members of the faculty and the office of the Dean of Women. In June 1928, Dorm “C” was formally named after Dr. Richard Tilman Vann, the second president of Meredith College, “at the request of the alumnae.”
For many years, Vann did not provide student housing at all, instead providing rooms and suites for faculty as well as four suites for President Brewer (1915-1939) and his family. (Faculty lived Vann in Vann until 1959.) The dorm has, in its history, hosted weekly faculty meetings in the faculty parlor, and Student Government Association meetings on the first floor.
In addition, from 1931-1958, Vann provided a temporary living environment for home economic students to put their learning into practice. Three 1st floor suites (Rooms 103-108) combined to create the “Mere-Ello Apartment.” The two bedrooms, sitting room, dining room and kitchen served as a month-long “practice house” for seniors in the Home Economics Department. When the dorm rooms were needed for expanding enrollment, the practice house moved to a rented house off-campus and them to the specially constructed Brewer House in 1960.
One of the four original dormitories on the new campus, Dormitory "C" would be renamed Vann Hall in June 1928.
As the second president of Meredith College from 1900-1915, Dr. Vann was instrumental in ushering the school through its first critical years, as it struggled with debt, built an endowment, increased enrollment and established its academic credentials. Dr. Vann also stepped in to write the school song, "Alma Mater." After leaving Meredith College, Dr. Vann remained active with the Baptist State Convention, as well as serving as a trustee of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Wake Forest College. He also authored a collection of sermons, The Things Not Seen, published in 1931.
From 1931 to 1958, a suite of rooms in Vann was used as the Home Management Laboratory for the seniors majoring in Home economics. When space in the dorm was needed for rooming students, the lab was moved to a rented house off campus and them to the Brewer House.
The four students participating in the Home Lab rotated four responsibilities over a month: Cook, Assistant Cook, Housekeeper and Hostess.
Mary Lynch Johnson. longtime instructor in the English Department and historian of Meredith College, lived for 21 years in Vann Dormitory, often with her beloved cats.
Carlyle Campbell Library
Meredith College
3800 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-760-8532
