Wadsworth Hall opened as a dorm on the Michigan Technological University campus in the fall of 1955. An increasing student population to the campus placed a higher demand on the campus to provide onsite housing so much so that 356 students moved into the “Wads” building prior to the completion of painting within the building. Named after the university’s first president, Marshaman E. Wadsworth (1887-98), the dorms featured “ultra-modern living” in double rooms, each of which featured a picture window, huge desk lights, and expansive closets with sliding doors. Common spaces included a sizable lounge, recreation room, and laundry facilities. The ground floor accommodated an infirmary with five, fully-equipped, hospital rooms. Since its initial completion in the 1950s, additional improvements and updates have been made to the building, including an addition, opened in 1958, that included more student rooms and a dining hall. A final 200-bed expansion, completed by Herman Gundlach Company, was finished in 1965. Further remodels such as improved shower stalls, kitchens, lounges, and new carpeting have added much-needed improvements to the building. A remodel of the large dining hall was also completed to bring a “bright and modern look,” with “restaurant-style seating,” to replace the “long, brown, institutional tables” that had once occupied the space.

Historical note contains exerpts and edited information from Emily Riippa's blog post "A Look Back at Tech's Residence Halls (or Dorms)," https://blogs.mtu.edu/alumni/2018/12/12/a-look-back-at-techs-residence-halls-or-dorms/ , December 12, 2018.