1926-Present
Judson Hall
Guest Housing Southern Seminary Louisville KY
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary moved from downtown Louisville, Kentucky, to its present location in 1926 with Frederick Low Olmstead, the nation’s best, employed as the landscape architect. This new campus involved the construction of Judson Hall and Rice Hall to serve as housing for seminarians. The top three floors were residential with the basement reserved for storage.
Former residents fondly remember the apartments consisting of a small bedroom, kitchen, living room and bathroom. The neighborhood stores appreciated seminarian business and occasionally sold milk below cost so it would fit into a student’s budget. Former students who lived in Judson and Rice have been known to return to their former apartment and leave a bag of groceries at the door as a token of their memories of living there.[1] While other buildings are named for personalities in the heritage of Southern Seminary, Judson and Rice Halls were intentionally named for missionaries to serve as a reminder of the mission heritage of Baptists in America.
In 2003 these twin structures were remodeled and connected to create the Legacy Hotel and Conference Center boasting 39 rooms and amenities that Ann and Adoniram would enjoy should they visit Southern Seminary today.[2] Rooms now feature plush mattresses, refrigerators, arm chairs, iron and ironing board, hair dryer, coffee maker, internet connections, cable TV and other accessories.
Though no longer officially called Judson Hall, the north wing encapsulates that building and the south wing is the old Rice Hall. The facilities are used for guests related to Southern Seminary or the Southern Baptist Convention.
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[1] Interview with Pam and Andy Pratt, residents of Southern Seminary’s Judson Hall in the 1980’s, November 2, 2022.
[2] Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. https://archives.sbts.edu/the-history-of-the-sbts/our-buildings/rice-and-judson-halls/