Dietz-Santee Hall, Franklin & Marshall’s oldest residential building, provides housing and a community for students interested in quiet living—an environment where students are committed to an appropriate and respectful amount of noise that is conducive to studying and a calm environment. The building recently underwent renovations to enhance its living spaces. Dietz and its nearby twin, Franklin-Meyran Hall, are separated by Klauder-Apple Walkway, one of the most heavily-traveled paths on campus.
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Image Credit: Deb Grove
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Image Credit: Deb Grove
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Image Credit: Deb Grove
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Image Credit: Deb Grove
Construction began on Dietz-Santee in 1924. It was financed by $105,000 bequested by Mary E. Santee in memory of Charles Santee, her father and a member of the Board of Trustees from 1858–1898, and Jacob Y. Dietz, a member of the Board of Trustees from 1889–1902 and fiancée of Mary Santee. Built of brick with Indiana limestone trimmings, it was designed by architect Charles Zeller Klauder and constructed by Herman Wohlsen.
A campus plan in the early 20th century called for the erection of two similar buildings north of Dietz-Santee and Franklin-Meyran halls, with the four dormitories—along with Biesecker Gymnasium—forming a quadrangle. Ultimately, the two southern buildings were the only ones built. Today Dietz-Santee remains one of the most popular residence halls on campus, while Franklin-Meyran houses F&M’s Department of Music and Department of Theater and Dance.
