301 South Willard Street

Walking Distance to Center of Campus: .1 miles

Jensen Hall, rumored to be haunted by a former occupant, is one of our most attractive and certainly one of our most highly sought after residence halls. The two-level "tower room" is one of Champlain’s best known architectural features. Jensen Hall houses approximately 38 primarily first year students. Like all Champlain College residence halls, Cushing Hall has cable television and wireless internet. All residence halls are smoke and substance free, co-ed communities.

A Brief History of Jensen Hall

Year of Construction: 1888

Original Owner: William Loomis

Year Acquired by Champlain College: 1965

Jensen Hall was designed and built in 1888 by A. B. Fisher for William Loomis. It was then sold to John Robinson, who was president of the Vermont Life Insurance Company. Walter Gates, City Editor of the Burlington Free Press lived there from 1904 to 1938. There were several other owners, including UVM, which converted the house to a women's dormitory known as Claggett House. In April 1965, Champlain College purchased the house as its first building to be used as a residence for students. The dormitory was named for Albert Jensen, who was Bader Brouilette's partner in the purchase of Burlington Business College [link to Champlain College history]. Mr. Jensen died soon after BBC was acquired, but his vision for the school is memorialized in this building.

There are many stories and legends about this house, including a claim that the house is haunted by the ghost of a sea captain who was one of the early owners, and whose wife liked to climb into the tower and watch for his ship to sail into Burlington harbor. There is no evidence that this story, or the resulting ghost, is true. But Jensen is, by far, one of the most beautiful dormitories on campus.