Ever hear of Saints Rest on the MSU campus? It just happened to be MSU’s very first dormitory.
When the campus opened in 1857, there were only three buildings, which included Saints Rest. Nineteen years later – 1876 – while the students were enjoying their winter break, Saints Rest burned down. The Lansing Fire Department took 45 minutes to arrive…and by then it was too late. It was never rebuilt, and over time, memories of the old dorm faded and it was basically forgotten altogether.
Saints Rest was MSU’s (then known as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan) second building (the other two buildings were a horse barn and College Hall). It was the lone campus dorm for thirteen years until Williams Hall was constructed in 1870…