On April 3, 1899, ground was broken for this men's dormitory, which was dedicated during Commencement Week in June 1900. Wilson Brothers And Company drew the plans for the building. The mallet and stakes used in the ground-breaking ceremony are in the University Archives. The four-story brick building was ready for occupancy on September 20, 1900. There were 97 rooms for men, a large room on the first floor for the use of the collegiate YMCA, and a reading room. In 1903, the Trustees approved the installation of "a boiler for hot water for shower baths" at a cost of $160.00 and the placement of freight elevators "for carrying up trunks and furniture" at a cost of $192.64. In 1905, a shop for work in electrical engineering was located in the basement of the building, but work in this department moved to East College in 1907. That same year, a clock and tower were erected on West College by the Class of 1907. It is a Seth Thomas clock tower with four faces, each eight feet in diameter.

In 1915, there was an extra charge for rooms in West College of $5.00 to $10.00 per term. Also, collegiate men could rent furnished rooms in West College and board in the Academy if they desired.

"a boiler for hot..." BT '82-'20, p. 198 (6/23/1903)

The major source for the information on this page is the Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Bucknell University, 1882-1920 (BT '82-'20). Additional sources are the Bucknell University Bulletin (Fourteenth Series, January 1915, No. 4) Catalogue 1914-1915 (CAT '14-'15) and the Bucknell Uinversity Bulletin (Fifteenth Series, January1916, No. 4) Catalog 1915-1916 (CAT '15-'16).