Built in 1889 on the site of present-day Gilkey Hall, Alpha Hall was the second campus building, and the first residence hall on the OSU campus. It served as the men's boarding house until 1892 when Cauthorn Hall (now Fairbanks Hall) was constructed, and from 1892 to 1907 served as a women's boarding house. Mrs. I. A. L. Casto was elected by the Board of Regents as matron of the hall in June 1892. Between 1907 and 1912, Pharmacy occupied Alpha Hall. When plans were made for the construction of a new Dairy Science building, Alpha Hall was split into two parts; one wing was moved to Twenty-third street where it was remodeled and used first as a store and later as a residence. The remainder of the building was moved off campus, and was eventually demolished (1922).

SCARC: The Special Collections and Archives Research Center's holdings include a wide variety of resources about Alpha Hall, including photographs, manuscripts, personal papers, and university publications.

Oregon Digital: Oregon Digital contains a large collection of historic photographs and periodicals pertaining to Alpha Hall.