Nathaniel Rochester Hall collection

Although RIT can trace its origins back to the founding of the Rochester Athenaeum in 1829, the modern form of the institution was created in 1891 when the Rochester Athenaeum merged with the newly formed Mechanics Institute (founded 1885). The university started as a way to train individuals for careers in the dominant fields in Rochester, NY's manufacturing industry. As a result, most of the school's first students were local residents. However, as the school began to grow, an increasing number of students came from areas other than the city, creating a need for student housing.

Traditionally, men lived near campus in private homes, and after World War II, veteran students had been housed in an old army barracks. To ease the growing demand for housing, RIT purchased the Manger Rochester Hotel for conversion to a residence hall for men. The dormitory opened in September 1957. It was expected that all male students that did not live with family would reside in the Men’s Residence Hall for their first year of study. Located at the corner of West Main Street and Plymouth Avenue, the building housed over 400 students. The new dormitory was dedicated Nathaniel Rochester Hall on February 21, 1959, and remained in use until the campus was relocated from the city of Rochester to the town of Henrietta in 1968.