The West Dwelling House, which became known as the Janney Building, was completed in 1842 as a professor’s house, along with the East Dwelling House. In 1871 the trustees leased the West Dwelling House to M. W. Janney and the East Dwelling House to A. K. Foster. Janney and Foster were to offer food service, providing students with “wholesome fare” at a cost of $2 per week. They were also to furnish lodging, fuel, and lights to as many students as could be accommodated at $3 per month. The university paid Janney and Foster 83 and one-half cents per month for each student boarded.
In 1872 a dining room addition to the West Dwelling House (Janney Building) was made to accommodate the increase in enrollment (to 180). In 1875, after construction in 1873 of a three-story dining hall on the western edge of the college grounds, the trustees set aside two rooms on an upper floor of the Janney Building for use as an infirmary in “case of urgent or serious sickness.” A portion of the Janney Building was used as a day-recreation center and lounge for women students from 1893 to 1898, until the women moved into the renovated Mess Hall, renamed Barbara Blount Hall. The building also housed the president’s office for a time. The Janney Building was located on the site of the present Austin Peay Building and was razed in 1908.