The University of Wyoming campus is filled with plaques and statues, each with a unique meaning. One of the most monumental ones is Hoyt Hall, which was the first women’s dorm on campus.
From 1916 – 1922 the dorms were in use before becoming an office space for faculty in the English, creative writing, and modern and classical languages departments in 1923.
The building itself was built in 1916 by Cheyenne native architect William Dubois completed the building in 1916. It was named after Dr. John Weasley Hoyt, the founding president of UW.
Hoyt was born Oct.13, 1831, in Worthington, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1849. He then attended the Cincinnati Law School and Ohio Medical College before getting his medical degree from the Eclectic Medical Institute in Ohio in 1853.
When the Wyoming Legislature announced that they were working to establish a state university, Hoyt moved to Laramie and became one of the first members of the board of trustees.
President Hoyt increased state funding, and authorized land grants, all while teaching both history and psychology classes since there were only five faculty members at the time.
In 1886, Hoyt served as a Wyoming territorial governor. Three years later, Hoyt was elected to the State Constitutional Convention, where he drafted the wording for the Education Article, most of which still exists in the state’s present constitution, all while maintaining his position as president.
The board of trustees then fired Hoyt in 1890 for being “too visionary and impractical.” He fled to Washington D.C., where he unsuccessfully tried to establish a national university.
He died in 1914 at age 80, two years before his building was completed.
To celebrate the building’s 100th anniversary, the university-funded 2.9 million in renovations which improved the building’s safety features, accessibility, energy-efficient lights, and a brand-new electrical system. They also redid the offices and classrooms in the buildings to make for a better learning and work environment. Throughout the changes, the building has kept its namesake.
