Mills Hall

The History and Life

Mills Hall initially housed the entire College with the classrooms, residence halls, dining hall, and library all in one building. In 2014, Mills was the first women’s college in the US to develop a formal transgender admissions policy. Our policy also included gender nonbinary students. Many women's colleges in the US had unofficial positions on admitting transgender students, but we were the first to put it in writing so students knew clearly and upfront whether they would be able to attend and remain enrolled at Mills.

Mills Hall, considered one of the most beautiful educational buildings in California, is the oldest and most prolific building on this historic campus. The hall, named after Susan and Cyrus Mills, had originally served as the entire campus where students would take classes and reside. Some of the very first Mills students could take a telegraphy course utilizing a special art room within the building. However, currently, the hall houses several classes of varying subjects and administrative offices; it even serves as housing for some faculty. Furthermore, if any guest arrives on campus they can opt-in to stay at the very top floor in special guest bedrooms. Within Mills Hall are several special tea kettles from all over the world that a former Mills President collected during their lifetime (With the rest of the collection residing in the Alumni House). In all, Mills Hall is more than just a building it’s a repository of the deep history and culture permeating the campus, a story that only grows richer with time.