RIT Off-Campus Housing collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: RITArc-0195

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The RIT Off-campus Housing collection contains memoranda, correspondence, brochures, and clippings related to housing outside of the RIT Henrietta campus. Most materials concern the student housing shortage of the early 1980s. A small amount of material (brochure, clippings) concern off-campus life such as general apartment living and safety.

Dates

Creation: 1978-1987

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Historical Information: Off-campus Housing at RIT

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.

In 1968, the campus was relocated from the city of Rochester to the suburb of Henrietta. High demand for on campus housing continued. By 1980, a severe student housing shortage occurred due to increased enrollment and demand to live on campus. About 20% of dormitory rooms designed as double occupancy were further divided into triples. When this measure did not solve the shortage, RIT leased apartments at off-campus apartment complexes: Rustic Village, Racquet Club Apartments, and the privately run Chapel Hill Dormitory on Prince Street.