From 1962 through 1974, the north wing of Cowell Hospital was home to the Cowell Residence Program, the first on-campus residence in the nation for severely disabled students and the birthplace of the effort to gain civil rights for the disabled.

Had Cowell Hospital not opened its doors to a group of remarkable young people, all students and all disabled, there would have been no locus for their association, their pooling of ideas, and their work together to gain independence from the institutionalized existence that until then was the lot of the disabled. Cowell provided the environment and was the catalyst that enabled this small group to launch a worldwide social movement that has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and is recognized today as a powerful force.

The entrance bay and south wing of Cowell Memorial Hospital were designed by Arthur Brown, Jr. in the Neoclassical style and built in 1930. The east pavilion, designed by Weihe, Frick & Kruse was added in 1954. The north wing, designed by E. Geoffrey Bangs, was added in 1960.

Cowell Memorial Hospital was demolished in 1993 and replaced by the Haas School of Business.