As an undergraduate in the mid ’80s, I lived in an older-looking apartment building on the corner of North Frances and Langdon streets called Ann Emery. I heard that at one time, this building might have been a dormitory for UW-Madison students. Any idea if this is true or if there is some other similar history of this building?

Ann Emery Hall opened on Oct. 22, 1930, as an independent women's dorm. Named for a beloved Dean of Women, it swiftly became one of the largest and most popular independent halls on campus. With its ivy-covered brick walls and intricate stone carvings of knights and rosettes gracing the vaulted wooden doorway, Ann Emery Hall was more reminiscent of a medieval manor house than an institutional dormitory. Sadly, after four decades of service to students, the hall closed its doors in 1971 due to the increasing demand for off-campus apartments. Ironically, the charming building on Langdon Street is now a private apartment complex.