In the late 1960s, the University of New Hampshire in Durham needed more housing and a dining hall for students of the growing campus, but with a low budget to accomplish this. The University hired German-born architect Ulrich Franzen, who studied under Walter Gropius at Harvard, learning Modernist principles there that would shape his career. The boxy buildings feature deep recessions to provide each student an identifiable corner and windows. The concrete frame building and engineering provide breezeways and forms that conventional buildings would not be able to accomplish. The building was completed in 1970 and was immediately applauded by architects and was featured numerous architectural publications.