Ellicott Complex

This article has been started but isn't yet complete. Please see the Discussion tab for more details. [2025-07-14]

The Ellicott Complex is the largest residential complex at UB, made up of a network of interconnected dormitory buildings on North Campus. Opened in 1974, it was designed as a "mega-structure" of 38 linked buildings containing residence halls, dining locations, academic offices, and classrooms. The complex houses approximately 3,200 students and is divided into six named sections or "quadrangles" - Evans (formerly Porter), Fargo, Red Jacket, Richmond, Spaulding, and Wilkeson - each originally intended to be a semi-independent living learning community. The Ellicott Complex is known for its distinctive architecture and layout, featuring block-like brick structures connected by elevated walkways and courtyards.

Design and Architecture

See also: North Campus Riot-Proof Design

A single dorm in the Spaulding Quad of the Ellicott Complex

Architecturally, the Ellicott Complex is an example of 1970s brutalism in campus housing. The buildings consist of repetitive cubic modules stacked in seemingly random arrangements, a style influenced by Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67 design. The complex's massive scale and interlocking form make it visually striking but also confusing to navigate for some.

UB's original intent for Ellicott was to emulate the collegiate system of universities like Oxford and Cambridge, where each quadrangle would house students and faculty associated with particular academic themes. Upon opening, each of the six quads was to focus on a subject area and include faculty-in-residence, creating a live-and-learn community. However, this plan was never followed through with - the thematic residential college concept was largely abandoned soon after completion. Instead, over the years the complex came to a mix of dormitories, some faculty and administrative offices, classrooms (including the well-known Academic Center 170), and dining locations.

Some have speculated that the Ellicott Complex's decentralized, compartmentalized plan was made as a "riot-proof design," particularly in response to 1960 protests such as the Vietnam Riots, but this claim is viewed with skepticism due to a lack of evidence that this was the reasoning for the brutalist architecture.

Facilities and Student Life

The Ellicott Complex is UB's largest housing facility, accommodating around 3,200 students in dormitory-style rooms ranging from singles (1 person) to quads (4 people). The six quads are semi-autonomous sections, each with its own set of residential floors, lounges, study areas, and in some cases, a small fitness center or other amenities. The Richmond and Red Jacket quads both historically contained identical main dining halls for the complex, but in recent years this was simplified into the single dining center in Red Jacket known as the Crossroads Culinary Center (C3).

Each quad in Ellicott is named after notable figures or themes connected to Western New York history or the university. For example, Red Jacket Quad is named for Red Jacket (a Seneca Nation leader), while Wilkeson Quad honors Samuel Wilkeson (a 19th-century mayor of Buffalo). Spaulding Quad is named for Elbridge Spaulding (a former Buffalo mayor and congressman), Fargo for William Fargo (involved with the development of freight transportation), and Richmond Quad for Dean Richmond (a Buffalo businessman). The complex itself is named after Joseph Ellicott, the Holland Land Company surveyor who mapped out Western New York and Buffalo.

The Evans Quad was originally known as the Porter Quad, named after Peter B. Porter (a US Secretary of War, member of Congress, and Secretary of New York State), but it was renamed to the Evans Quad, named after Willie R. Evans. The Academic Center was originally known as the Millard Fillmore Academic Center, named after Millard Fillmore (UB's first chancellor and the 13th President of the United States), but it was later renamed to the Academic Center. These were renamed as Porter was a slave owner and Fillmore supported The Compromise of 1850.

Many students form tight-knit communities within their quads, with each quad having its own activities (such as with Campus Living and Residence Hall Association), and traditions. Ellicott also provides Living-Learning Communities, such as areas for first-year students interested in management, social sciences, or health fields, allowing students with similar academic interests to live together.

Although some of the original academic functions are not present today, Ellicott still houses various offices and facilities. In addition to student dormitories, it contains classrooms and academic department offices, student support offices, and even the UB Campus Living Office (at 267-C Fargo Quad).

Further Reading

Ellicott Complex's Dining Hall: Crossroads Culinary Center (C3)