Clark University had been open for less than 20 years when a dining commons was constructed on the corner of Woodland and Charlotte streets. However, the growing University and undergraduate Clark College, established in 1903, quickly required more space.

In the early 1920s, a $100,000 bequest from the estate of Arthur F. Estabrook — a Clark University trustee from 1904 until he died in 1919 — allowed the University to add two stories onto the building, which was completed in 1924 and christened Estabrook Hall.

Those top two floors were used as a dormitory, with space for a proctor and 52 students.

Estabrook Hall now houses the Language, Literature, and Culture Department and the Music Program, as well as classroom and rehearsal space.