Atkinson Hall was originally constructed as a dormitory to accommodate 135 women residents. The dormitory also included teacher’s apartments, classrooms, study halls, and a dining room for about 500 people.

Before Atkinson Hall was built the Mansion and the Mansion Annex were the only buildings housing students. When Atkinson was completed it was the first time in the college’s history there was room for all students to live on campus. Previous to this time, students who did not live in the Mansion or the Mansion Annex, lived with families in Milledgeville.

Atkinson Hall 1926

By 1929 Atkinson Hall was accommodating about 830 students. In 1930 the facade of the building changed drastically. The original structure had a four tiered verandah on the front of the building. In 1930 the verandahs were removed in order to give the building a more modern look. Columns were added to the outside, the ground floor was enclosed with a brick wall, and a porch was added to the first floor.

Early Atkinson Hall Dining Room

By the 1940’s Atkinson Hall had fallen into disrepair. The interior had had no major renovations since its original construction in 1896. Through the 1940's The dormitory housed sophomores and juniors and the dining room was accommodating about 1000 students. In 1944 students and workers in the Atkinson Hall dining room became very sick with 140 cases of salmonella poisoning reported. The Department of Public Health inspected Atkinson after the breakout of salmonilla and discovered rats and mice in the kitchen as well as toilets dripping into the kitchen from the floor above. Soon after the outbreak of salmonella, the college renovated the kitchen facilities in the building and continued to use the Atkinson Hall dining room until the 1970’s.

In 1953 the dorm was condemned by the State Authorities. Atkinson Hall was used as a dormitory for the last time in 1955. The building, however, continued to house the college dining room, post office, and the student union on the ground floor. The upper floors of the building were used for storage.

On January 20, 1972 Atkinson Hall was put on National Register of Historic Places. It is credited as being associated with historic events and a distinctive representation of a type of architecture.

While Atkinson Hall was praised nationally for being an historic building in 1972, it was nearly abandon by campus offices that same year. Maxwell Student Union was completed in 1972 and the dining hall, post office, and student union were moved to the new building. Atkinson Hall was left nearly vacant, housing only the Duplicating Department.

Atkinson continued to fall into disrepair throughout the 1970’s. The college began investigating modern uses for the old building, and gathering funds for its renovation. In 1977 the Alumni Association started a “Save Atkinson Hall” campaign. The Alumni Association's campaign alerted the public about Atkinson's poor condition and worked to raise $50,000 to help with the building's restoration.

During the “Save Atkinson Hall” fund drive, the building encountered more disastrous events. An edition of the January 1977 the Macon Telegraph reported that the changing temperatures in the nearly vacant structure had caused the building’s pipes to break. Students arrived on campus to find water cascading down the front porch and onto the front campus lawn. The Telegraph also reported that one of the columns from the 1930 restoration had fallen off the building breaking a lamp post as it fell to the ground.

By 1979 the college had secured funds from the Alumni Association “Save Atkinson Hall” campaign and a $3.8 million allocation from the state. Groundbreaking for the renovation was celebrated with a ceremony on December 12, 1979.

During the renovation, Atkinson Hall’s interior was gutted and additions not original to the building were torn down. The new interior of Atkinson Hall was designed for the School of Business and included classrooms, conference rooms, a student lounge, faculty offices, a television station, and an elevator. The exterior of Atkinson was restored to its former beauty, following the style of the 1930’s renovation.

Front of Atkinson Hall under construction in the 1970's Back of Atkinson during renovation

The School of Business moved from Lanier into Atkinson Hall in the spring of 1982 and held its first classes in the building during the summer of 1982. After four years of renovation, the completion of Atkinson Hall was celebrated with a dedication ceremony held October 24, 1982.

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Sources of Information:

• "Atkinson Hall a Cause for Concern" - Alumni Association Files.
  
• A Centennial History of Georgia College by William Ivy Hair with James C. Bonner, Edward B. Dawson, and Robert J. Wilson III. Milledgeville: Georgia College, 1989.
  
• Columns, Fall 1982.
  
• GCSU Archives.
  
• Macon Telegraph January 18, 1977.
  
• Macon Telegraph February 22, 1979.
  
• Union Recorder, October 19, 1978.
  
• Union Recorder, October 26, 1982.