In 1917, Governor Robert L. Williams asked the legislature for funds to build campus homes for the presidents of Oklahoma’s six regional normal schools, and after he succeeded, President T. D. Brooks moved into Southeastern’s new presidential residence by the spring of 1918. Designed by noted architect Jewell Hicks as a post-Victorian American Foursquare and built at a cost of $6,200, the home has been continuously occupied by the president since its dedication. In the spring of 1937, Southeastern President Kate Galt Zaneis, the first woman in American history to serve as a state college president, held a reception there honoring Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady of the United States. The President’s Home continues to serve as the primary venue for hosting visiting scholars, dignitaries, constituents, and alumni.