For 100 years, SMU's elegant first building has served as a symbol of the University, a standard of its classic collegiate Georgian style, home to intellectual discourse for generations of students and center of SMU’s liberal arts tradition, now Dedman College. Named in honor of the Dallas citizens whose contributions funded the building, Dallas Hall also serves as a symbol of the close relationship the University shares with the city. Originally conceived by Robert S. Hyer, SMU’s first president, Dallas Hall housed all classrooms and laboratories, a library, a snack bar, a post office and faculty and administrative offices. Today, Dallas Hall houses the English Department, the William P. Clements Department of History, the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies, the Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute, and the administrative offices of the Dean of Dedman College.