Rex Beach Hall

Rex Ellingwood Beach (1877-1949) was one of Rollins College’s most famous alumni: a best-selling novelist, Olympic Silver Medalist, and president of the Rollins Alumni Association. A close friend of former Rollins president Hamilton Holt, Beach was granted an honorary Doctor of Literature degree in 1927 as well as his Bachelor of Science degree (’97). Together, the friendship and efforts shared by Holt and Beach enhanced progress at Rollins. To honor Rex Beach’s contributions to the College and to American culture, Rollins erected a residence hall in his name in 1958. Rex Beach Hall was made possible through a government loan that ensured the construction of a dining hall, a women’s residence hall, and a fraternity house for Kappa Alpha.

South side of Rex Beach hall

The 8,039-square-foot building was designed by John Watson and consultant Jefferson Hamilton, and constructed by S. J. Curry and Co., of Georgia, with a total cost of $200,000. Rex Beach Hall contains twenty-eight double rooms, three single rooms, and a two-room suite for the residence head. The facilities also feature a living room, a card room, and a recreation room. A cornerstone contains a copy of The Spoilers, Rex Beach’s first published novel. The concrete and red-tile-roofed building reaches three stories high, though the recreation area is only one story, and accommodates 59 students. It was dedicated on April 26, 1958. The building now houses students who are part of Rollins’ many residential learning communities.