Update – March 22, 6:08

The university confirmed on Tuesday that Hayden Hall will be renamed Lipton Hall in June after Martin Lipton, a prominent alumnus of the School of Law. University Spokesman John Beckman said that the first year residence hall will be officially renamed in June to recognize Lipton’s numerous and significant contributions to NYU’s law school and the university as a whole.

“[Hayden] is a building once associated exclusively with the Law School (indeed, Mr. Lipton lived there when he was a law student) that went on to serve the University more widely, which parallels the arc of Mr. Lipton’s own association with NYU,” Beckman said. “Because the residence hall selection process is beginning for students, we thought it would be proper and less confusing to start using the Lipton Hall name now, even though it precedes the planned June announcement.”

Original article

Hayden Residence Hall, best known for its dining hall cookies, will soon be renamed to Lipton Hall according to the NYU website.

Though still unconfirmed, it is possible that the new name refers to chairman of the Board of Trustees, Martin Lipton — although the possibility remains that the name refers to another person by the name of Lipton. The dorm has been named Hayden Hall since 1957.

The dorm on 33 Washington Square West — which you can read more about in our housing guide — was closed last year for renovations that included a new commuter lounge, and now houses approximately 700 first year students.

While the reasons for the name change and when it will take place are unknown, some students have already begun sipping their tea in response to the second name change of an NYU institution this academic year.

CAS freshman Nina Demirjian, a resident of Hayden Hall, said changing the name of the dorm felt weird since Hayden is a name already established on campus.

“It’s been Hayden all year and it just feels like Hayden, not Lipton,” Demirjian said. “Hayden Hall has a better ring to it than Lipton Hall.”

LS sophomore Victoria Porada agreed and said that dorm names are a part of the history and culture of the university.

“When you change its name, it’s like rewriting its history because the name Hayden is associated with stories and celebrities that once resided in those halls,” Porada said.

CAS senior Sydney Kobil said she felt that renaming Hayden would erase the last remnants of the dorm she lived in during her freshman year.

“Hayden brought me the roommates that I’ve lived with for four years,” Kobil said. “My best friends are the people that lived with me on my freshman floor. It wasn’t the cleanest place as it was old and hadn’t been renovated maybe ever, but it had such great character.”

While many things about the name change are uncertain, the real question is whether the rest of Hayden’s legacy will be altered by the name change. “Lipton cookies” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Email Anne Cruz at [email protected].