MSU Announces Name of New Residence Hall

BOZEMAN—Montana State University announced today that its newest residence hall, set to open in fall 2020, will be named Hyalite Hall.

Construction on the $50 million project began in May 2018. Hyalite Hall will house up to 510 students, filling the need that comes from continued growth of the MSU student population over the last decade. It is being funded by student room and board fees; no taxpayer dollars are being used.

About 24% of MSU students live in campus residence halls. The last new residence hall, 400-bed Yellowstone Hall, opened in the fall of 2016.

The name, Hyalite Hall, draws from local geography such as Hyalite Canyon south of Bozeman, known around the region for its hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing and ice climbing opportunities, as well as Hyalite Peak in the Gallatin Range. The name is also a nod to the shape of the building, a capital H, and to the Hyalite opal family of gemstones.

“Hyalite Hall will be an iconic addition to the north side of campus, and its name truly reflects the unique beauty to be found in this part of Montana,” said Tom Stump, associate vice president of MSU Auxiliary Services.

Hyalite Hall is located near the 11th Avenue roundabout on College Street. It provides easy access to the new Rendezvous Dining Pavilion, which opened in August 2018, and the rest of the MSU campus. Parking lot expansions associated with the new hall added 180 spaces to the area at the beginning of the project.

“This project is a beautiful addition to our campus and offers future students one more reason to choose Montana State University,” said Jeff Bondy, director of MSU Residence Life. “For the thousands of students that choose to live on campus each year, we are proud to be able to offer such exceptional spaces to welcome them to the Bozeman and MSU communities.”

The project was designed by SMA Architects of Bozeman and Helena with consulting from NAC Architecture of Spokane. General contracting is by Jackson Contracting Group of Bozeman and Missoula.

- by Michael Becker, MSU News Service -