Originally built for students of Livingston College, the Ernest Lynton North and South Towers are named after Ernest A. Lynton, who was first a physics professor at Rutgers and then became Livingston College's founding dean.
Although the South Tower was originally designated for continuing students only, recent designations of Livingston campus as the "first-years" campus by the administration for Fall 2009 have now dedicated both towers for first-year students only.