At a groundbreaking ceremony on May 2, 2002, trustees and members of the Lawrence community took turns with shovels, symbolically unearthing the site of the college's new $15.3 million residence hall. Located on the hillside behind Ormsby Hall and extending outward and down toward the Fox River, the 79,500-square-foot building houses 183 students in suite-style accommodations. The first new residence hall constructed at Lawrence since Kohler Hall was built in 1967, the building was completed in time for the opening of the 2003-2004 academic year.
Dedication of the new residence hall took place on Thursday, October 16, 2003, nearly 18 months after the ground breaking. Guided tours of the building followed a ribbon cutting ceremony, with remarks by President Warch, Board of Trustees chair Jeffrey Riester, Board of Trustees Development Committee chair Kim Hiett Jordan, and Lawrence University Community Council president Jacques Hacquebord, '04. A celebratory concert at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center featured internationally acclaimed pianist and associate professor of music Michael Kim performing piano compositions by Bizet, Chopin, Brahms, and others.
The residence hall has been named Hiett Hall, in honor of Stanley and Clara Hiett, the parents of 1958 Lawrence graduate Kim Hiett Jordan, whose generous $8 million gift made the building's construction possible.