One of the two new residence halls being built on the UNC campus will keep the name of a recently demolished building. The dorm will be named Jackson Hall, taking the name from the old building which housed UNC’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

The future and former Jackson Halls were named in honor of Blyden and Roberta Jackson. Blyden became the university’s first tenured Black faculty member in 1969 as an English and African-American literature professor, and his wife Roberta joined the School of Education as its first Black tenure-track faculty member in 1970. Roberta eventually did earn tenure in 1974. Before his retirement, Blyden also served as assistant dean of UNC’s Graduate School.

UNC professors Blyden and Roberta Jackson pictured in front of the former Jackson Hall. (Image via UNC-Chapel Hill)

The former Jackson Hall was originally completed in 1942 as Navy Hall, and it hosted programs such as the Navy Pre-Flight School and Naval ROTC. It was renamed Jackson Hall in 1992. Roberta Jackson died in 1999, and Blyden died a year later.

The future Jackson Hall and the other, currently unnamed residence hall (known as “New Residence Hall One East” in official university communications) will be built on the site of the old Jackson Hall. Originally announced in 2025 and set to break ground later this year, they will be the first new residence halls on the UNC campus in 20 years and will add more than 700 beds to campus housing. A name for New Residence Hall One East will be announced at a later date, the school said in a release Tuesday.

“These new residence halls mark an exciting milestone for Carolina,” said UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts. “They represent a significant investment in our students and our future. I’m especially proud that one of these halls will bear the name of Blyden and Roberta Jackson, honoring their extraordinary legacy and contributions to our University.”

With the former Jackson Hall’s demolition, the UNC Office of Undergraduate Admissions has relocated. The office now resides in the northern Student and Academic Services Building (SASB North), near the Dean Smith Center and several first-year dorms.

 

Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Brighton McConnell

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