For years, SLU trustees and President Richard Eddy Sykes sought to build a dormitory for men to complement Dean Eaton Residence for women, which opened in 1927. With funding commitments from long-time trustee Owen D. Young, philanthropist George F. Baker, and Andrew and Richard Mellon, construction began in 1930 despite the onset of the Great Depression and was completed the following year. For decades the dormitory was simply called "Men's Residence" and featured a long common room for meetings and events, a central library, a dining facility, and study lounges on each floor. Today, Sykes Hall's Dana Dining Center is the main eating spot on campus, the Common Room remains a mainstay for lectures and events, and the residence is distinguished by its prominent clock tower and large courtyard, which now includes a peaceful Japanese garden maintained by campus volunteers.