Buildings and Campus

Learn more about our historic campus in Painesville, Ohio

Since Lake Erie College opened as a women's college in 1856, the institution has called Painesville, Ohio home. Some of our buildings - like College Hall - have been around since the school's first classes were held in 1859. Other buildings have been added over the years while some have been lost due to natural disaster or campus expansion.

As a private university known for being a landmark for progress, Lake Erie College is committed to documenting its campus attractions and campus updates with the community.

Notable Landmarks and Campus History

One of Lake Erie College's most notable features is its rich history and connection to women's suffrage. Lake Erie College started as an all women's college and seminary with an all female staff and faculty until it became co-educational in the 1980s.

Lake Erie College was able to educate and connect various activists in this movement - including Mary Evans, who went on to be president. Susan B. Anthony came to speak on campus about equal voting rights for women. Lake Erie College is fortunate to have such a rich history as a private institution and as such, has installed several different dedication markers to some of our own activists.

Mary Evans Dedication

In 2021, Lake Erie College honored Mary Evans - former president and women's rights activist - with special signage and a dedication ceremony. Signs like the one seen below can be seen in front of College Hall and other places on campus.

The Lake Erie Campus Today

Various buildings around the Lake Erie College campus were built to serve individualized purposes, including the Morley Memorial Music Building and Kilcawley Hall. In addition to enriching our campus, these buildings are home to members of faculty, staff and students alike. Some notable buildings on Lake Erie College campus include:

College Hall

As the first structure built for Lake Erie College, College Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been awarded a Partners in Preservation grant presented by National Geographic.

Kilcawley Hall

Helen Rockwell Morley Memorial Music Building

An acoustic feat architecturally, it is considered one of the best small concert halls in the area. The hall houses a grand 64-rank E.M. Skinner organ built in 1927 that exemplifies those acoustics.

Austin Hall

This is where some of our best and brightest minds innovate for the future and where we host sustainability speakers.

College Campus | Royce Hall

The Royce Hall for the Fine and Performing Arts was built in 1970 and is home to our annual BFA exhibition and year-round theatrical productions.

Garfield Center

Once a private elementary school, the Garfield Center has become LEC’s own educational building, lending it’s space to the School of Education, Professional Development, the renowned Physician Assistant Program and a state-of-the-art HVACR lab.

George M. Humphrey Equestrian Center

Mathews House

Residential Halls

We offer several different residential buildings for our students staying on-campus to choose from.

Tracy H Dickinson Hall

Tracy H. Dickinson Hall has community kitchenette and laundry facilities, lounges and 43 student rooms.

Fowler Residence Hall

Each residence hall contains a kitchenette and laundry facility, as well as a community area with a television.

Andrews Residence Hall

Andrews, Ritter and Fowler Halls are outfitted to be a Lake Erie College student’s home away from home.

Ritter Hall

Each residence hall contains a kitchenette and laundry facility, as well as a community area with a television.

Amenities

Lake Erie College offers several spots on campus for students to socialize, study and lead a fulfilling life on campus. Each building plays its own unique part in enriching the campus community.

James F. Lincoln Learning Commons

Ritchie Athletic Training Center

Arthur S. Holden Center

Serving as the hub of Student Life, the Holden Center is often the site of graduate and career fairs to further connect the students in their goals.

Bentley Hall of Science

The Bentley Hall of Science (pictured) was a building on LEC's campus was on campus in 1897 and stood until 1972

Previous Buildings of Note

The campus has changed over the years, with new buildings replacing old and environmental damage causing updates. Some buildings important to our history no longer stand.

  • Memorial Hall

    The cornerstone for Memorial Hall, which was connected to College hall by a corridor, was laid May 29, 1890, and the building was dedicated the following year. A fire broke out in Memorial Hall in the early morning hours of April 13, 1957, destroying the structure. Today, the stone sign for Memorial Hall remains on the ground outside College Hall, in the exact spot where it once hung over the main entrance to the building.

  • Bentley Hall of Science

    Bentley Hall of Science, named for Dean Luette Bentley, was dedicated in 1897 and stood until 1972.

  • Lincoln Commons

    The Lincoln Commons, dedicated at the Centennial Convocation in 1959, stood at the heart of the campus until 1996, when the cost of major repairs necessitated the replacement of the building. It was replaced by the Arthur S. Holden center.

  • Jane White Lincoln Center for Physical Education

    Named for long-time dean of students Jane White Lincoln, the original recreation center opened in 1978. This building was later razed to make room for the Jerome T. Osborne Family Athletic and Wellness Center.