years. It was renovated and made co-ed in the fall of 2009 and houses about 1,040 students, mostly freshmen. This residence hall is the largest at Virginia Tech. Rasche Hall – (1957-2013) In 1957, the First Academic Building (1876) was razed to construct Rasche Hall, The new building also incorporated a remodeled Barracks No. 2(1894), and served as a barracks for the Corps of Cadets until its demolition in 2013. Pearson Hall was constructed on the site in 2014-2015. Shanks Hall – (1957-1990s) In 1957, Science Hall also known as Barracks No 7 was razed to construct Shanks Hall. Named after David Carey Shanks, Jr., who served as commandant of cadets from 1895 to 1898, this dorm opened in 1958 and incorporated a renovated Barracks No. 4 (1902). Shanks Hall housed 320 men until it was converted to house 302 women in 1970. It was converted to academic office space in the mid 1990s. The building was renovated in 2001 and a small addition was made. Thomas Hall – (1949-2017) A co-ed residence hall that housed 355 students. The building was formerly located in the Upper Quad across Old Turner Street from the Power Plant. Thomas Hall was demolished in 2017. It was named for alumnus and Medal of Honor recipient, Herbert Joseph Thomas. Vawter Hall – (1962) A co-ed residence hall located in the President's Quad near Owens Dining Hall and Hokie Grill. Vawter was an all-male residence hall until 2013, when it was made co-ed. The building is named for Charles E. Vawter who served on the board of visitors from 1886 to 1900 and was rector from 1889 to 1900. Women's Auxiliary Dormitory – (1963-1966) Built in 1921 as faculty housing and originally known as the Extension Apartment House the building was remodeled 1963 for use as a women's dormitory to house 34 female students. In 1966 it was converted to academic offices and used by various departments until it was destroyed by fire in 1971. The University Bookstore now occupies the site. Living Learning Communities Virginia Tech offers 13 living learning communities for on-campus students. They serve as an alternative experience for their residents and communities range from entrepreneurship to community service. Residence Hall Federation The Residence Hall Federation (RHF) is a University Chartered Student Organization. This organization exists to serve the 9,000 on-campus residents through hall councils in each residence hall. The RHF is composed