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The River Halls, known as the River Dorms, are a trio of three residential/classroom buildings on the College Avenue Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Constructed in the International Style and opened in 1956, they are so called due to their excellent views of the Raritan River. The three buildings, named Campbell, Frelinghuysen and Hardenbergh, are 38 m (125 ft) tall and are 7 storys high. Located between George Street, the buildings were raised above street level with open air underneath to preserve sight lines between the street and the river. But the open space was largely unused and the interior of the buildings did not have any significant space for study, lounging, or student programming. This has necessitated the current renovation project. Hardenbergh Hall was originally designed as the "medical" dorm for Rutgers students who suffered from physical maladies such as asthma, and as such is one of the few dorms on the College Avenue campus which is air conditioned It is named after Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, who had been the first president of Rutgers College from 1785 to 1790, when it was still called "Queen's College".
Facilities
Hardenbergh, Campbell and Frelinghuysen Halls are only residence halls at Rutgers which also contain classrooms, located in the basement levels. of the Residences are located on the upper levels overlooking the river and George Street. It is not possible to access the classrooms directly from the residences as entrances to the basement are physically separate from the lobby entrance to the residences. The elevators likewise have been locked from accessing basement levels A and B and only serve the residence hall level G (lobby) and residence levels 1 through 6. Each resident floor has bathroom and shower facilities and each room is equipped with two closets, dresser, desk, and bed. The bottom floor has two lounges as one is a study room and the other is meant for socializing. The study room has numerous chairs and comfortable seating where students can lounge comfortably and complete their work.
The first floor is equipped with a full kitchen (refrigerator/stove/oven) and the first and fourth floors have quiet study lounges which are enclosed with tables/sofas and armchairs. The ground floor has two rooms on each side of the hall; one serves as a quiet study lounge, while the other is a social room that has a TV and hosts various events. All other levels have open lounges equipped with TVs, foosball tables, pool tables, and sofas.
The average size room is 19x12. The river dorms are also 100% RUwireless enabled due to their aging infrastructures. RUwireless serves as a backup internet connection during wired internet outages.