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Risley Residential College
Prudence Risley Residential College for the Creative and Performing Arts, commonly known as Risley Residential College, Risley Hall, or just Risley, is a program house (themed residence hall) at Cornell University. Unlike most other dormitories on campus, Risley is a residential college; house members, or "Risleyites," have some say in the administration of the residence hall, can continue to reside there as long as they are enrolled at Cornell, are encouraged to eat together at the in-house dining hall, and participate in educational activities such as guest lectures within the dormitory.
In 1911, Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, a progressive philanthropist and the widow of financier Russell Sage, donated $300,000 (equivalent to $11.1 million in 2024) to the university for the construction of a women's dormitory. At her request, the building was named after her husband's mother, Prudence Risley. Financier and Cornell trustee Emerson McMillin donated an additional $20,000 (equivalent to $674,929 in 2024) to purchase the requisite five-acre lot, the first expansion of Cornell's footprint north of the Fall Creek gorge, the beginning of the modern day North Campus.
The building was opened to students in 1913. It was unusually luxurious, with sculptures and expensive furnishings in common areas, many of which were donated by Cornell co-founder Andrew Dickson White.
In approximately 1969-70, undergraduates Judith Goodman ('71) and Gail Hassan ('71) developed a proposal to create university housing specifically for students interested in the arts, as well as decidated performance, practice, and other creative spaces. The Associate Dean of Students, Ruth Darling, was supportive of the proposal, which asked for 40 housing units, but, if there was sufficient demand, they might use Risley Hall. Student interest was overwhelming: the university received over 1000 applications for the roughly 200 spots in the building. Having demonstrated student interest in such a dormatory, in fall 1970, Risley Hall thus became the home of Risley Residential College for the Fine and Performing Arts, Cornell's first "program house."
The building houses 196 students, chosen by Risleyites from a number of applications. Notable former Risley residents from before the creation of Risley Residential College include Margaret Bourke-White', Elspeth Huxley, Barbara McClintock, Helen Reichert, and Janet Reno. Notable residents from after the creation of the Residential College include Matt Ruff, Mia Korf, Jamie Silverstein, Christopher Reeve, Andre Balazs, Madalyn Aslan, Duo Dickinson, Andrew C. Greenberg, David Conte, Jared Emerson-Johnson, Adam Becker, Yoon Ha Lee, Elizabeth Neuffer, and Keith Raywood.
In addition to students, Risley houses one or two Artists-In-Residence ("AIRs"), who live in the building and organize regular programs in which the house members participate. There is not currently an Artist-In-Residence. Previous AIRs include Georgia O'Neil, Patrick Gray, Carolina Osorio-Gill, Natalie Tyler, Abraham Burickson, Gregory Halpern, and Brandon Bird.
Many famous people have visited the house for intimate discussions with the Risleyites, such as Anthony Rapp, Christopher Hogwood, John Cleese, who hosted a question and answer session after the showing of his film A Fish Called Wanda, and Samuel R. Delany who continues to collaborate with Risley alumnus Kenneth James.
Risley Residential College offers archiecturally distinctive living experience at Cornell, as a Tudor Gothic-style dormitory resembling a large red-brick castle. The building, designed by architect William H. Miller, is modeled after Hampton Court Palace in England . At the request of its benefactors, the floor plan was designed so that no two rooms would be identical, resulting in a wide variety of room layouts. Room sizes range from a single unit of 93 square feet (9 m²), originally a maid’s quarters, to a double room measuring 273 square feet (25 m²), which is the largest double occupancy room on campus.[citation needed] Architectural features include balconies, fireplaces, dumbwaiter shafts, secret stairwells, bay windows, embrasures, and turrets.
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Risley Residential College
Prudence Risley Residential College for the Creative and Performing Arts, commonly known as Risley Residential College, Risley Hall, or just Risley, is a program house (themed residence hall) at Cornell University. Unlike most other dormitories on campus, Risley is a residential college; house members, or "Risleyites," have some say in the administration of the residence hall, can continue to reside there as long as they are enrolled at Cornell, are encouraged to eat together at the in-house dining hall, and participate in educational activities such as guest lectures within the dormitory.
In 1911, Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, a progressive philanthropist and the widow of financier Russell Sage, donated $300,000 (equivalent to $11.1 million in 2024) to the university for the construction of a women's dormitory. At her request, the building was named after her husband's mother, Prudence Risley. Financier and Cornell trustee Emerson McMillin donated an additional $20,000 (equivalent to $674,929 in 2024) to purchase the requisite five-acre lot, the first expansion of Cornell's footprint north of the Fall Creek gorge, the beginning of the modern day North Campus.
The building was opened to students in 1913. It was unusually luxurious, with sculptures and expensive furnishings in common areas, many of which were donated by Cornell co-founder Andrew Dickson White.
In approximately 1969-70, undergraduates Judith Goodman ('71) and Gail Hassan ('71) developed a proposal to create university housing specifically for students interested in the arts, as well as decidated performance, practice, and other creative spaces. The Associate Dean of Students, Ruth Darling, was supportive of the proposal, which asked for 40 housing units, but, if there was sufficient demand, they might use Risley Hall. Student interest was overwhelming: the university received over 1000 applications for the roughly 200 spots in the building. Having demonstrated student interest in such a dormatory, in fall 1970, Risley Hall thus became the home of Risley Residential College for the Fine and Performing Arts, Cornell's first "program house."
The building houses 196 students, chosen by Risleyites from a number of applications. Notable former Risley residents from before the creation of Risley Residential College include Margaret Bourke-White', Elspeth Huxley, Barbara McClintock, Helen Reichert, and Janet Reno. Notable residents from after the creation of the Residential College include Matt Ruff, Mia Korf, Jamie Silverstein, Christopher Reeve, Andre Balazs, Madalyn Aslan, Duo Dickinson, Andrew C. Greenberg, David Conte, Jared Emerson-Johnson, Adam Becker, Yoon Ha Lee, Elizabeth Neuffer, and Keith Raywood.
In addition to students, Risley houses one or two Artists-In-Residence ("AIRs"), who live in the building and organize regular programs in which the house members participate. There is not currently an Artist-In-Residence. Previous AIRs include Georgia O'Neil, Patrick Gray, Carolina Osorio-Gill, Natalie Tyler, Abraham Burickson, Gregory Halpern, and Brandon Bird.
Many famous people have visited the house for intimate discussions with the Risleyites, such as Anthony Rapp, Christopher Hogwood, John Cleese, who hosted a question and answer session after the showing of his film A Fish Called Wanda, and Samuel R. Delany who continues to collaborate with Risley alumnus Kenneth James.
Risley Residential College offers archiecturally distinctive living experience at Cornell, as a Tudor Gothic-style dormitory resembling a large red-brick castle. The building, designed by architect William H. Miller, is modeled after Hampton Court Palace in England . At the request of its benefactors, the floor plan was designed so that no two rooms would be identical, resulting in a wide variety of room layouts. Room sizes range from a single unit of 93 square feet (9 m²), originally a maid’s quarters, to a double room measuring 273 square feet (25 m²), which is the largest double occupancy room on campus.[citation needed] Architectural features include balconies, fireplaces, dumbwaiter shafts, secret stairwells, bay windows, embrasures, and turrets.
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