After next week, West Hall will be without its lifelong companion.
Two-year-old East Hall will not be torn down, but instead renamed Osher Hall in honor of Bernard Osher '48. The dorm's dedication will take place Friday, May 11.
The honors committee of the Board of Trustees decided on the building's name change.
According to Bill Torrey, senior vice president for planning and administration, Osher has "been very generous to the College in a number of ways."
Torrey said that Osher has supported the renovation of the Walker Art Building, as well as endowed scholarships for Maine students to attend Bowdoin, Bates, Colby and the University of Maine.
Torrey said that although Osher did not contribute directly to the construction of East Hall, his generosity to Bowdoin prompted the honors committee to name the new dorm after him.
According to Torrey, it is not rare to have a dorm named after someone who did not directly provide funding for its construction. Many buildings on campus such as Chamberlain, Hyde, and Appleton halls were named in honor of presidents or other individuals who contributed to the school.
Torrey said that if a donor wishes to contribute to a project directly, he or she must pay for at least half the cost of the project to have it named in his or her honor. Wish Theater and the new Studzinski Recital Hall were named in this way.
Torrey said that most donors do not give money because they want a building named after them.
"While it's nice to have your name on a building, it's not something people seek," he said.
Torrey said that there are no plans to rename West Hall any time soon.