Carnall Hall was built in 1906 as the first women’s residence hall at the University of Arkansas.
It was named for Ella Howison Carnall, an early alumna of the university and professor of English and modern languages who died in 1884. It had two things that the men’s residence halls didn’t: running water and bathing tubs.
The building served as a women’s residence hall through the 1960s. As newer, more modern women’s halls opened in the 1960s, Carnall Hall was used briefly by a fraternity and as university offices and classrooms during the 1970s and 1980s.
By 1991, the building had fallen into disrepair and was slated for removal by the University of Arkansas.
A campaign to save the building resulted in a university partnership with a group of investors who paid for restoration of the building as a hotel on campus, the Inn at Carnall Hall.
Students in the university’s hospitality program also got a hands-on lab for a period in which to learn while guests enjoyed easy access to the campus.
The Inn at Carnall Hall was rededicated for use in 2003. In addition to lodging, the includes Ella’s Restaurant and Lambeth.