Glide-Crawford (GC)—a staple of Asbury University’s campus and one of the two female dormitories—is celebrating its 100th birthday this month. The walls of GC have seen the mundane moments of daily life and the precious college memories made with friends. Its double doors have seen thousands of ladies enter as first-time freshmen and walk out for the last time as graduated women.
As students prepare to recognize GC’s milestone birthday and head into its second century, it is also important to remember where it all began for this residence hall and appreciate its history and beauty over the years.
According to the Asbury University website, the old Scott family homestead, which was already standing when Asbury bought the Bellevue College campus, served as the beginning of Glide-Crawford. Because of a generous donation from Mary Crawford, a woman from Georgia, the homestead was expanded in 1918 and Mary Crawford Hall was erected.
In 1921, Mrs. Lizzie Glide, a wealthy cattle owner from San Francisco who was known for her generosity toward religious institutions, provided Asbury College with a substantial donation. In her name and in her honor, Lizzie Glide Hall was also constructed. This is when GC began to take on the familiar C-shape that is well-known to today’s students.
Unfortunately, a fire broke out in the basement of GC in the year 1924. It began on Mary Crawford Hall and carried over to the Glide side. The fire did not only damage GC, but spread to many other campus buildings as well, including the dining hall.
The new Glide-Crawford was rebuilt and reopened that same fall of 1924 and has been standing ever since.
To celebrate the 100th birthday of GC, the Resident Director and Resident Assistants threw a “Glide-Crawford Birthday Bash” on February 3. Every hall was themed and decorated as a different decade. Students moved throughout each hall, completing activities that aligned with the decades for which they were themed. The Bash culminated in the GC lobby with food and a birthday party.
“We are celebrating 100 years of memories and 100 years of celebrating God’s faithfulness to GC,” said Glide-Crawford RA Sarah Yost.
It was a night to remember as students celebrated the history and beauty of the decades of GC. The beloved dorm has seen thousands of new faces arrive and graduate over the last 100 years, and countless memories are in store for its second century.
Feature photo by Macy Carmony.