Buildings & Grounds

In 1903, the Corporation purchased land next to Mrs. Isabella Gardner’s Fenway Court--now the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum--for $180,000 to serve as the permanent site of the College. The architectural firm Peabody & Stearns designed and constructed the four-story Main College Building in the summer and fall of 1904. Apprehensive faculty, students, and staff moved in during the final stages of interior construction, stepping around the unfinished and unpainted areas. The west wing of the Main College Building was added in 1909 and the east wing was added in 1929. Additions to the Academic Campus at 300 The Fenway were made in 1961 (Beatley Library/Lefavour Hall), 1972 (Park Science Center, 2000 (College Center), 2002 (One Palace Road), and 2009 (School of Management Building).

This photoset includes photographs of historic properties leased by Simmons University for academic purposes, including the School of Social Work. These buildings are no longer leased or owned by Simmons University.

This photoset includes photographs of historic properties leased by Simmons University for off-campus residence. These properties are no longer leased or owned by Simmons University.

This photoset includes photographs of the Simmons College President's House at 245 Lee Street. This property is no longer owned by Simmons.

This photoset includes photographs of the Residence Campus. The first dormitory, South Hall, along with the Refectory dining hall, were built in 1905 on property purchased on Brookline Avenue, a five-minute walk from the Main College Building. North Hall was constructed in 1907, and small houses on nearby lots and streets were leased as the student body increased during the early years. In later years, the triangle bordered by Brookline Avenue, Pilgrim Road, and Short Street became known as the Simmons College Residence Campus, with a total of nine four-story brick dormitories. A one-story dining center, Bartol Hall, was appended to the Refectory in 1953. The early and mid 1950s saw another period of expansion on the residence campus. Arnold Hall opened in 1951, and the new dining hall, Bartol Hall, opened in 1953, the same year as the Dix and Morse dormitories. Simmons Hall, which anchored the Residence Campus triangle, opened in 1956.