Elliott Hall and Stoddard Hall -- once known as the North and South buildings -- are the oldest buildings on Miami University's Oxford campus. Elliott Hall, MU's oldest building, was built in 1829 and rebuilt by the Public Works Administration in 1937. It was named for Charles Elliott, a professor of Greek, 1849-1863. Among the many students who resided in the dormitory was a future president, Benjamin Harrison, an 1852 graduate. Stoddard Hall was built in 1835 and also refurbished in 1937 by the PWA. Miami's second oldest building was named for Orange Nash Stoddard, a professor of natural sciences, 1845-1870. They stand side by side, just south of the Beta Bells. When opened in the 19th century, Elliott was known as the Northeast Building and later as North Hall, and Stoddard as the Southeast Building and later South Hall. They were given their present names after the PWA work in 1937. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The web site of the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society says Elliott and Stoddard were "constructed as residence halls to accommodate a rapidly expanding enrollment, the dormitories were designed to 'unite cheapness of construction with durability and convenience,' according to the Trustees' report at the time. The first building completed was occupied by students in 1829, and was known as Washington and Clinton Hall, but commonly called the Northeast Building. The cost was $7,000 and the work was contracted to David Richey (stone and brick work and plastering) and William B. Vanhook (carpentry). The second hall, the Southeast Building, was opened in 1835 and housed junior and senior men, giving each 'an apartment to himself,' a luxury now long past. Contractor James T. Slack completed this building at a cost of $9,500. During these early years Miami University achieved pre-eminence among Ohio colleges and experienced the development of a lively tradition as well. . . . A century after their construction, the Northeast and Southeast Buildings were given their present names of Elliott and Stoddard halls, respectively, when the interiors were rebuilt (in 1936 and 1937). The exteriors of the buildings are quite similar to Connecticut Hall at Yale College: all have the same proportions (100 by 40 feet and three stories) and all have two sets of paired doorways. This similarity contributes to the reputation of Miami University as 'the Yale of the Early West.' " (Also see the entry for Miami University.)