Syme Residence Hall (Raleigh, North Carolina)

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Located on the east campus of NC State, four-story Syme Hall has an area of 47,676 square feet. The building, designed in the style of the 1911 dormitory, was the last major facilities project of the Hill administration. The building honors George Frederick Syme (1878-1933), a civil engineering graduate of the Class of 1898.

Syme and Professor S. L. Mann (see Mann Hall) attempted to design a canal across Nicaragua for the U.S. Government shortly after the turn of the century. However, it is said that heat, insects, and hostile surroundings discouraged the men from the location. A bridge and highway specialist, Syme (pronounced Sim with a long "i") served an 18-month stay in Mecklenburg County repairing bridges destroyed by flood in 1916. Syme also surveyed land for a N.C./S.C. boundary 80 miles inland from the coast. In addition to his various engineering positions, such as city engineer for Raleigh and a locations engineer with the West Virginia Central Railway, Syme was treasurer of the NC State Memorial Tower Committee.