The History of 
Shepard Residential College

Origin

In the beginning, Shepard Residential College was based in Shepard Hall, which was originally constructed as part of Northwestern's Centennial celebration and dedicated in November 1952 as an addition to the women's quadrangles. The Holabird, Root, and Burgee design cost $780,000 to build. Originally housing 115 women, Shepard was expanded in 1960 with space for an additional 65 students. In the fall of 1972 Shepard became a nonthematic, coeducational residential college with thematic clusters. Robert Church, associate dean for academic affairs and a professor of education, was the first master.

Original Shepard building, located at 626 University Place.

Shepard Hall, the original building that housed Shepard Residential College, was made possible by a donation from Mrs. Margaret Bowen Shepard to honor her husband, Abraham D. Shepard, and her sister, Anna Maude Bowen, both of whom had been interested in education and young people.  For almost 30 years, Mr. Shepard was an executive at the Central and Southern Pacific Railroads until his promotion in 1902 to secretary and general manager of Pacific Improvement Co.  As head of Pacific Improvement Co., Mr. Shepard developed the first Pebble Beach Lodge and the current 17-Mile Drive while overseeing the extensive holdings of the company from Alaska to Guatemala until his retirement in 1915.  He is also remembered through The Abraham D. Shepard Historical Chair Fund bequeathed by Mrs. Shepard to the University of California, Berkeley.  Anna Bowen was the dean of women and an assistant professor of English at Northwestern from September 1899 until her sudden death in January of 1900.

Starting from 2015-16 Academic Year, Shepard Residential College has moved from its original building to its new permanent location of South Mid-Quads (655 University Place), or SMQ for short. This newly renovated building is located within the university's sorority quad and can accommodate up to 74 residents. The old building, Shepard Hall, is now part of a residential community linked with 1838 Chicago, and is unaffiliated with Shepard Residential College.