Elder Hall opened in the fall of 1959 as a residence for 395 men and now is a co-ed residence hall for freshmen. Designed by the firm of Holabird, Root, and Burgee and built at a cost of $1.25 million, the building has an exterior of face brick and Lannon limestone. A dining hall is located on the garden level. Elder Hall was financed in part by a $500,000 gift from J. H. Elder of Midland, Texas. A telegraph operator and railroad agent in the early part of the century, Mr. Elder later became a car dealership owner and a Texas oilman. The enrollment of his grandchildren at Northwestern in the late 1950's coincided with his gift toward the construction of the hall.