Avery Residence Hall
Opened in the fall of 1958, Avery was built at the same time as Parker and Teague Residence Halls. Avery, located at the end of Stadium Drive, was a first step in expanding campus housing toward South Campus. The building is named for William Waightstill Avery, a Burke County native who graduated from Carolina in 1837. Avery was a lawyer, an occupation that led to trouble in 1851 when he was attacked by a man involved in one of his cases. A week later Avery shot the man in a courtroom, killing him instantly. He was acquitted on the grounds of "provocation" and temporary insanity. During the Civil War Avery represented North Carolina in the Confederate Congress before joining the army. He died from wounds received in battle. It is not clear why the UNC Board of Trustees decided in the 1950s to name a campus dorm for Avery.
Date Established: 1958
Date Range: 1958 – Present
Avery Residence Hall, ca. 1967. UNC Photo Lab Collection, North Carolina Collection Photo Archives, Wilson Library.