Outdoor Picture of the Day: Sewall Hall, CU Boulder’s Historic Heart

Look at that classic CU Boulder sandstone and red-tile roof glowing beneath the Flatirons. Sewall Hall isn’t simply another residence hall—it is one of the university’s most recognizable buildings and a living piece of Buff history.

Completed in 1934 as a women’s dormitory, Sewall Hall has remained in continuous use ever since, making it CU Boulder’s longest-serving purpose-built residence hall. Nearly a century later, students still call this architectural landmark home.

Charles Klauder’s Campus Masterpiece

Sewall Hall was designed by renowned architect Charles Z. Klauder, the man responsible for establishing the distinctive appearance now associated with CU Boulder. Klauder called his approach the “University of Colorado Style,” while architectural historians generally describe it as Tuscan vernacular.

The building showcases the defining elements of Klauder’s vision: multicolored sandstone walls, red clay-tile roofs, pale limestone trim, black metal accents, towers, courtyards, and carefully detailed entrances. According to CU Boulder’s official architectural history, many consider Sewall Hall the finest of Klauder’s campus buildings.

The hall originally opened with four wings—Lester, Harding, Bigelow, and McKenna. Each was named for a woman with important ties to the university. Every wing was designed to accommodate approximately 75 women and included its own parlors, recreation rooms, kitchenettes, laundry areas, and small dining facilities.

Honoring CU Boulder’s First President

The building takes its name from Joseph A. Sewall, who served as the University of Colorado’s first president from 1877 to 1887.

When the university opened on September 5, 1877, Old Main was the only building standing on what was then an exposed, windswept hillside. Sewall greeted the new students personally, shaking every hand as they entered. He and his family also lived inside Old Main during the university’s earliest years.

That history creates a fitting connection between Sewall Hall and CU Boulder’s historic campus buildings, which continue to preserve the university’s character and sense of place.

A Historic Home for Today’s Buffs

Sewall Hall is now coeducational and offers an assortment of singles, doubles, triples, and quad rooms, many with memorable views of campus or the mountains. Its central location places residents within an easy walk of Norlin Library, Macky Auditorium, the Recreation Center, and numerous classrooms.

The hall is also home to CU Boulder’s Stories and Societies Residential Academic Program. Designed primarily for first-year students, the program offers small seminar-style courses and activities that connect history, culture, society, and the experiences students bring to college.

Sewall’s older architecture gives it an atmosphere that newer residence halls cannot easily duplicate. Its hallways, courtyards, gathering spaces, and individual rooms have welcomed generations of students through changing eras of university life.

Set against Boulder’s blue skies and the unmistakable outline of the Flatirons, Sewall Hall remains one of the most beautiful and meaningful buildings on campus. It represents far more than historic architecture—it is a place where CU Boulder’s past continues to meet its future, one new generation of Buffs at a time.

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