University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection

History

Shoup Hall was completed in 1958 as a men’s dormitory and designed by the Boise firm Dropping, Kelley & Finch. Housing approximately 110 students, it was named for Idaho’s first governor, George L. Shoup, who served during the state’s transition from territory to statehood. Its construction, at an estimated $337,000, occurred during a period of rapid university growth and was prompted in part by the loss of student housing in Gault Hall following an arson incident that tragically killed three students in 1957. Along with neighboring McConnell Hall (1957), Shoup Hall marked a new era in campus planning and architecture and became a northern anchor to the historic campus core. After 1999, the building was no longer used as a dormitory. It was repurposed to house the university’s Theater Department, including offices, a student lounge, and a small performance space. Shoup Hall supported the university’s educational mission and reflects a pivotal shift toward Modernist design in campus development.

The building exhibits a clean, International Style design with a rectangular form oriented north-south and a perpendicular eastward projection at the south end. A stair tower and a three-story De Stijl-inspired wind wall give the primary (west) elevation a distinctly Modern character. Materials include concrete masonry units, glass, and metal trim. Fenestration throughout features ribbon-style, two-sash windows with mullions, arranged to evoke continuous window bands. Doors are typically aluminum and glass, with some metal varieties. The east projection is notable for its full-height window wall, and the west elevation features additional vertical window columns. A decorative vertical wall and overhang further articulate the south and east elevations, enhancing the building’s modernist profile.

Images of Shoup Hall