Skip to main content

Gardner Hall

Max Gardner
Gardner, Oliver Maxwell (O. Max). 1929-1933. NCPedia, Cleveland County.

Gardner Hall was built in 1968 and named after Oliver Max Gardner. Gardner was born in Shelby, North Carolina on March 22, 1882. He served as governor of North Carolina while President Franklin Roosevelt was in office. He was the 57th governor of North Carolina, serving from 1929-1933. A building was not only named after him on Appalachian State’s campus, but also at North Carolina State University and University of Chapel Hill. Gardner Webb university was also named after the governor and his wife due to their donations and attention to the small college; and to their dedication to the North Carolina college education systems in general.

Governor Gardner was also brother in law to Clyde Hoey, of which Hoey Dormitory is named after. While his brother-in-law was known to support segregation, there is not much evidence that Gardner shared his feelings on race. There is mention in some public letters that Gardner wrote about giving out two awards for a “best writing essay” to a white child and a child of African-American descent in the early 1930s. The text states that “This unforgettable picture, taken under the shadow of the monument of Aycock on the Capitol Square, was probably the first posed picture taken since Reconstruction days of the governor of a Southern state with a member of the Negro race.” (pg. 32 of the GovernorsPapers). While this seems like nothing today, in the 1930’s this was a step in the right direction towards racial equality.

Construction on Gardner Hall began in 1963 and it was originally a women-only dorm. The cost of building the dorm was $750,000. On January 11, 1994 there was a fire in Gardner Hall’s garbage chute, which caused the entire building to be evacuated. There were $1,500 in damages to the dorm. A building was not only named after him on Appalachian State’s campus; but also at North Carolina State University and University of Chapel Hill. Gardner Webb university was also named after the governor and his wife due to their donations and attention to the small college; and to their dedication to the college education systems in general.