University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection

History

Steel House served as a women’s co-operative dormitory. The residence was historically located in Blake House, which now functions as an office building for music and other faculty members. Steel House closed in 2007 due to high renovation costs. After a year in limbo, the dormitory relocated temporarily to the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house from 2009 to 2012, and then to the Delta Chi house, where it remains in use. The co-operative was named after Ethel Steel, a leader in the movement to provide cooperative residence halls at the University of Idaho and a member of the Board of Regents from 1933 to 1946. Women living in the residence became known as the “Women of Steel” or “Steelies.” Design and Physical Description

Steel House occupied a standard residence hall layout typical of co-operative housing on campus. Blake House, its original location, accommodated shared living spaces and communal facilities for the women of the co-operative. Physical modifications for co-operative living were minimal, with the structure primarily reflecting the functionality of a dormitory rather than a distinct architectural style. Subsequent relocations placed the dormitory in existing fraternity houses, which adapted the spaces for temporary residential use while maintaining the communal ethos of Steel House.

Images of Steel House