Vanderbilt University’s West End Residential Colleges

Abstract

Vanderbilt University’s West End residential colleges, in Nashville, Tennessee, were designed to enhance campus life through a blend of traditional Collegiate Gothic architecture and modern amenities. They include E. Bronson Ingram College, Nicholas S. Zeppos College, Rothschild College, and the newly opened Carmichael College. Together, they create a cohesive, distinctive community environment, housing over 1,300 students within some 76,350 square meters. In each building, thoughtful account is taken of Vanderbilt’s historic character and the Nashville context, with prominent towers and a harmonious architectural language that resonates with the original campus. The Vanderbilt West End residential colleges enrich the student experience with a range of programmatic features: each one has a dining hall as a social hub, versatile event spaces for lectures and gatherings, and study rooms on each floor for individual and collaborative work. Rothschild College’s 100-seat studio theater serves as a creative venue for student performances, while faculty apartments and offices in each college facilitate student-faculty interactions, creating a dynamic, community-focused environment blending tradition into a modern campus.