Antioch Hall, North and South Halls

Antioch Hall was constructed in the 1852–53 timeframe by architect Alpheus Marshall Merrifield.[4] It combines elements of Romanesque, Greek Revival and Gothic architectural styles, the latter being most noticeable in its towers.[4]

It underwent a massive renovation from 1958 to 1962.[4] This included the inset of a concrete structure inside the original building which stabilized it and insulated its interior against weather and degradation.[4] The renovation also created four floors, instead of the previous three, and relocated its entrance from the east side to the west side.[4]

Antioch Hall was closed along with the College in June 2008; however, while the College reopened, Antioch Hall did not.[4] Since the campus's central Power Plant usually provided steam heating to this building and others, and because the Power Plant went offline with the general closure in 2008,[5] Antioch Hall lacked heating which in turn led to plumbing failures and flooding in February of 2009.[4] Some restoration has been done, the largest from a $500,000 directed grant from Yellow Springs Community Foundation in 2019, intended to tackle projects of immediate need such as reintroducing heating.[4] But considerable additional funding is needed to bring the building back to usefulness, with estimates ranging from $7.5 million to $20 million.[4]

North Hall is an operational residence hall.[6] Its first residents were the entering class of 1853.[6] In 1953 it was extensively reconstructed following a significant fire in February of that year, with use of an interior steel framework supporting four-inch reinforced concrete floors which made the building more fireproof.[7] In 2011 it underwent a $5.7 million renovation effort to combine both comfortable and sustainable living, and reopened in 2012.[6] The renovation project achieved a LEED energy-efficiency Gold Level Certification on July 26, 2013,[8] and was the oldest building in the country to obtain such a rating, taking the title from the U.S. Treasury Building.[9] The project included solar panels on the building’s roof, and twenty-five 600'-deep geothermal wells for heating and cooling.[9]

South Hall also opened in 1853, as the college’s men’s dormitory.[10] Renovated in 1994, it too was damaged after closure in 2008 when a sprinkler system pipe on the fourth floor of the unheated building burst in December of that year, flooding the structure’s east end.[10] However, contractors and volunteers pushed through a cleanup effort to dry it out.[10][4] It reopened after some exterior renovations in January of 2010.[3] It is the location of college offices,[6] as well as Herndon Gallery, which is used for exhibitions and academic conferences.[11]