In 1920, Samuel P. Cochran, the Executive Head of the
Scottish Rite Masonry in Texas, recognized that there was a lack of suitable housing for
young ladies who were attending The University of Texas. He asked the Scottish Rite Bodies
in Texas to donate the necessary funds to build a dormitory and the Bodies responded
generously. Scottish Rite Dormitory began
housing girls in rented facilities in 1920 and opened the doors to its present building in
1922. It is a gift of Scottish Rite Masons in tribute to, and in interest of, aspiring
young women.
The Charter of the Holding Corporation sets forth that the
purpose of the Dormitory is to provide for young unmarried women "suitable living
quarters while attending The University of Texas at Austin, at a reasonable cost
commensurate with services rendered, and to surround them during their University course
with a wholesome, moral environment and with the associations of home life, in addition to
its comforts and conveniences." The primary objective of Scottish Rite Dormitory is
to promote the spiritual, mental, and physical development of our residents during their
stay at SRD.
SRD has housed thousands of young women who attended UT over
the past 75 years. We hope that SRD was a positive part of their education and we look
forward to being a part of the lives of all those young ladies who will live at SRD in the
future.
Scottish Rite Dormitory Web Site |