Almost every Vanderbilt student has heard rumors regarding Kissam Quadrangle, the residential area on the corner of 21st and West End.

Whether it is that a homeless man has begun to live in Kissam or that they shampoo the carpets weekly in order to keep them clean, it is more than likely most Vanderbilt students view Kissam in a negative light.

“I heard that they were built as military barracks,” said junior Patrick Seamens.

However one of the most prevalent and accepted rumors about Kissam Quadrangle — that it was only meant to be temporary housing, built to accommodate the large influx of students that resulted from the passing of the G.I. Bill after World War II — is in fact false.

Instead, Kissam’s beginning came in 1889 when William Kissam Vanderbilt gave a gift of $100,000 to the school in order to build a new residence hall. As described in the April 7, 1889 edition of The Hustler, there was much excitement on campus as men awaited the “modern dormitory and modern conveniences” of the new residence area.

The building was to be designed by Richard H. Hunt, who had just finished working on the Metropolitan Museum of New York, and was also known for designing the Vanderbilt family’s home, the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, N.C.

There were dorms constructed on campus after World War II to accommodate the soldiers returning from battle, but those were the Alumni Lawn dorms of Tolman, McGill and Cole.

In 1957, the next phase of Kissam’s life began. In response to a need for more male housing, Vanderbilt demolished the old Kissam Hall and began construction on a new group of men’s dormitories. They were named Kissam Quadrangle in memory of the family who made Kissam possible in the first place.

Despite sadness at the demise of the old Kissam Hall, excitement surrounded the construction of the six new men’s dorms, which were to have special sections for law students, medical students, graduate students and undergraduates.

Edward Durell Stone, whose work included the Museum of Modern Art and Radio City Music Hall in New York, was hired to design the new Kissam Quadrangle.

“The halls were built with the idea that they would be here for a long time,” said Lyle Lankford, senior officer of university history and protocol. “I don’t think (the Board of Trust) would have gone to that length to hire that architect to come to campus (if the buildings were only temporary.”

Although today many view the brick buildings of Kissam Quad as unimpressive, Kissam has played a long-standing role in Vanderbilt’s history and has been a staple on campus for more than 100 years.

“There are still several members still on the board from when they decided to build Kissam Quad,” Lankford said, “and I don’t think any of them would be surprised that the halls are still standing and in use.”